The sales outlet of publishing house University Press Limited (UPL) in the capital's Banglabazar has been locked up. The incident took place over the sale of Asamapto Atmajiboni (The Unfinished Memoirs) by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. UPL subsequently issued a statement clarifying its position.
In the statement, UPL said it stands by every book it publishes. If a book is to be banned, a specific process must be followed and everyone must be informed. Certain legal steps also have to be taken.
UPL further said it was not aware of any such action having been taken in the case of this book.
UPL described what happened on Monday afternoon in its statement. The publishing house said that around 5:30 pm on 28 September, several people went to its showroom in Banglabazar and behaved aggressively.
They claimed that Asamapto Atmajiboni was a banned book and demanded that its sale be stopped. At one point, the showroom’s shutter was pulled down and two UPL sales staff were harassed. They were later taken to the Faridabad police outpost and detained before being released.
UPL said the individuals who questioned them were informed that Asamapto Atmajiboni was not a banned book. If the government or a court takes any steps to ban the book, UPL will act accordingly, it said.
UPL described the incident as “extremely shameful and unfortunate for the nation”. The publishing house also said it had faced pressure of one kind or another under almost every government. At various times, governments, individuals, and organisations have raised objections to different books.
The statement also referred to several such incidents. UPL said that under the previous government, a meeting of the Dhaka University Syndicate had asked the organisation to apologise over one of its published books. It said that when UPL declined to publish certain manuscripts, it faced harassment from the government. At various times, influential individuals also pressured the publisher not to publish certain other books.
The statement said UPL had also faced repeated pressure over books by Moudud Ahmed during the previous government. It added that a book by Professor Asif Nazrul on the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty had also been published based on reviewers’ opinions, despite the “extremely adverse” circumstances at the time.
UPL said that as a publisher, it had ignored such pressure as far as possible. Although this had caused commercial losses at various times, it had not deviated from its fundamental publishing principles. It said this was UPL’s official position regarding every book it publishes.
UPL said it follows specific standards in publishing and that its manuscript reviewers independently assess each book. Books are published based on their evaluations and opinions. Because it has confidence in this process, UPL does not withdraw any published book in response to pressure, it said.
UPL said it continues to regularly advertise Asamapto Atmajiboni on its page, as it did during the previous government.
UPL also referred to the recent publication of a book on the history of Jamaat-e-Islami written by Barrister Abdur Razzaq. The publisher said it published the book only after its expert reviewers concluded that it contained material of considerable importance to the history of Bangladesh.
UPL believes Asamapto Atmajiboni is a highly important book for Bangladesh and the country’s history. The book contains much-needed context on the creation of Bangladesh and the origins of the Liberation War, it said.
UPL said it publishes every book responsibly. If the book is banned by a competent authority through due legal process, the organisation will act in accordance with the law. However, UPL believes that interfering with the publication and sale of any book that does not incite a criminal offence is harmful to the overall development of culture.
In the statement, the publisher said that during the previous government, it had also protested, from the same professional standpoint, against the decision to close Adarsha Prokashani’s stall at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela (Ekushey Book Fair) without legally banning its three books. It said that position remains firm and unchanged.
UPL believes it is the responsibility of the government and all concerned not to interfere with the space for free thought and academic freedom in the interests of the development of the state and society.
UPL believes that if an important medium of knowledge-building such as publishing is subjected to unlawful pressure or threats, the country’s overall creativity will suffer. In this situation, UPL called on writers, readers, teachers, journalists, publishers, political leaders committed to democratic aspirations, thoughtful sections of the government and all people of goodwill to stand by them.
At the same time, warning of the dangers of establishing a rule of thuggery in the publishing industry, UPL called for such illegal activities to be dealt with firmly in the interests of the state, society and the pursuit of knowledge.