Poets, writers, cultural activists and different cultural organisations on Sunday held a rally in front of Bangla Academy in Dhaka protesting at the selection of winners of the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024.
Two platforms, Jatiya Sanskritik Biplob and Bikkhubdha Kobi-Lekhak Samaj, organised the rally under the banner of 鈥楲aying siege to the Bangla Academy鈥�. Poets and writers including Syead Nurul Huda Rono, Shammo Saha, Ehsan Mahmud, Abid Azam, among others, spoke at the rally.
They also demanded cancellation of the jury committee and forming a new one as well as reform of the executive council with the spirit of the student-led mass uprising at the event.
Academy鈥檚 main work is research but it has shifted its goals, Ehsan Mahmud said, adding, 鈥楢cademy should reform their executive council in light of the spirit of student-led mass uprising. The jury committee was biased by a section of jury members and it nominated those who were against the mass uprising for awards.鈥�
The academy should award those who stand for the July uprising and were neglected in the past 16 years during fascist rule, said Syead Nurul Huda Rono.
Moin Muntasir said that the academy should be allowed to practice literature independently separating it from the ministry of culture.聽
Bangla Academy director general Mohammad Azam said that although they had also a plan to reform the academy, it would be difficult during the preparations of the forthcoming Amar Ekushey Book Fair the academy.
Earlier, the academy suspended the literary award list on Saturday amid controversies and took three working days to investigate the allegations.