Leaders of the Ganatantrik Sanskritik Oikya, a cultural platform, on Sunday demanded that the Bangla Academy organise the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 in February, the fair鈥檚 usual timetable.
They also handed over a memorandum to the Academy, the organiser of the fair, in this regard.
Leaders of the platform also held a protest rally in front of the Bangla Academy to press for their demand.
They said that the Amar Ekushey Book Fair had become the focal point for the country鈥檚 literary activities over the years.
There were also examples of the fair being organised during the national election and Ramadan, the fasting month of the Muslims, they said.
Earlier, the Bangla Academy postponed the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026, which was scheduled to be held between December 17, 2025, and January 17, 2026, due to the next national election slated for February 2026 and Ramadan.
On September 21, the committee of the advisory council on law and order at a meeting decided to request the cultural affairs ministry to organise the book fair after the national election due to security concerns ahead of the polls. Consequently, the Academy postponed the fair.
Ganatantrik Sanskritik Oikya convener Mafijur Rahman Laltu chaired Sunday鈥檚 programme moderated by Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi general secretary Jamshed Anwar Tapan.
Mafijur said that a vested group created obstacles to cultural activities across the country and the government did not take any steps to prevent those.
Bangla Academy director general Mohammad Azam said that the academy used to organise the fair in February but publishers wanted to avoid Ramadan due to fewer visitors as well as lower sales in the month.
鈥楾he fresh schedule of the fair will depend on the time frame of the forthcoming national election due to security issues,鈥� Azam said, adding that the Academy needed at least two months for making preparations to organise the fair.聽
