Stall at Ekushey Book Fair vandalised over Taslima's book

A mob vandalised a stall at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Monday evening (February 10) over the sale of a book titled 'Chumban' by controversial writer Taslima Nasrin.

The agitators also attacked writer Shatabdi Bhaba after he allegedly called them ‘militants’ and shouted ‘Joy Bangla’ in response to their protest.

Police intervened in the scuffle, escorted the writer away, and temporarily shut down the stall named ‘Sabyasachi’, which had been vandalized during the incident.

The altercation took place around 6:00pm in front of the Sabyasachi stall in the Suhrawardy Udyan section of the fair. 

According to eyewitnesses, a group of students gathered upon noticing the sale of Taslima Nasrin’s books. Writer Shatabdi Bhaba was present at the time.

When the students questioned the sale, Bhaba allegedly called them ‘militants’, which escalated tensions. In response, the writer raised the ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan, further agitating the protesters. 

At one point, the students attempted to attack him, but police intervened and removed him from the scene.

Some students claimed they saw Taslima Nasrin’s books being openly sold at the Sabyasachi stall. When they asked why, the writer called them ‘militants’ and started shouting ‘Joy Bangla.’ He also hurled verbal abuses at the agitators.

Witnesses confirmed that police prevented the attack, escorted Shatabdi Bhaba out of the fair, and that he later apologised to the angry students.