‘Such incidents will happen again if we cower in fear’

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: The police station accepted our written complaint but did not record it as a GD. We are reviewing the CCTV footage and are in the process of seeking legal recourse. The Special Branch of police has also requested the CCTV footage, which we have provided. We hope the government and law enforcement agencies will soon identify those responsible and take exemplary action against them.

In a criminal offence, the state itself is the complainant because it is not only the victim who is attacked. The state and the law are also attacked. So the responsibility does not rest with us, the victims alone. The state also has a responsibility to identify the perpetrators, investigate whether anyone instigated them to carry out the attack and bring them to justice.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: From the very beginning, we have received highly positive cooperation from the government. So far, we have not felt any direct or indirect pressure from them. We have received assurances of security from senior police officials at the police station. They are monitoring the situation every day. However, there is no doubt that the incident was planned. Unless the instigators of the attack are mentally disturbed or completely blind to reality, I hope they have by now realised how much support we have received for taking a firm stand, from readers at large, the media and well-meaning people in society.

We have not done anything new in this regard. We have simply upheld UPL’s longstanding policy of professionalism and not giving in to pressure. We are especially grateful to the media because they have properly highlighted UPL’s position that it stands by every book it publishes and will not remove any book unless it has been banned by the government through lawful means.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: Soon after the July mass uprising, we faced an unpleasant incident while holding a book fair at an educational institution. There, a few overzealous young people noticed SA Karim’s Sheikh Mujib: Triumph and Tragedy and Barrister Moudud Ahmed’s Bangladesh: The Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Era. SA Karim’s book is by no means an admiring biography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Again, some senior leaders of Awami League had objections to the book. Those young people did not know Moudud Ahmed. They were not familiar with his work or ideology at all. Naturally, they also did not know that the book was a critical and widely acclaimed account of the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman era. Yet they were demanding that no book about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman be displayed.

Even during that tense period, however, we saw very positive efforts from the educational institution. In fact, these incidents will continue to happen if society either nurtures the elements that create mobs or retreats out of fear of them.

At the same time, it is important to make it clear that even books, cultures and ideologies that I dislike have the right to exist in society and to take steps to stop any attempt to violate that right. Otherwise, no one can guarantee that those responsible for such incidents will not one day become victims of similar situations themselves. Of course, we do not want anything like this to happen to anyone else.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: Very simple. During the publication process for any book by UPL, the manuscript is reviewed, the information is verified and the work is edited as thoroughly as possible. We regularly turn down many manuscripts for publication. So, whatever we publish is based on several key principles: 1. the originality of the manuscript and the accuracy of the information and data presented, 2. the importance of the author, 3. the importance of the work to its target or intended readers and 4. its market potential.

However, if we are satisfied with the first three criteria, we are often willing to compromise on the fourth. You will notice that many books published by UPL have very limited market potential. But whenever we believe that a particular work is important for preserving our nation’s history or for building a repository of knowledge and information to be passed down from one generation to another, we publish it with care even if its commercial prospects are limited.

In many cases, the authors also support us in this effort. It is because of this overall process that UPL stands by every book it publishes. In many cases, we have faced the displeasure of those in power because of books we have published. As a result, our other books have also suffered commercially. But we have never deviated from this publishing policy.

Even in the present circumstances, we have continued to regularly promote The Unfinished Memoirs and books on the Liberation War. In a different context, we have also published research-based books on the Farakka Barrage and books critical of neoliberal economics based on their academic merit. We have promoted those books regularly as well.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: You will find part of the answer to this in my response to the previous question. I would add that The Unfinished Memoirs by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not published without first verifying the authenticity and originality of the manuscript. Publisher Emeritus Mohiuddin Ahmed was equally firm and committed on this matter, and his associate publishing adviser Badiuddin Nazir was also not someone who would compromise in any way.

Moreover, the English translation of the book was published by Penguin at the time for readers around the world. The Pakistan edition was also published in English and Urdu by Oxford University Press Pakistan. Alongside UPL’s own verification process, the scrutiny and vetting processes of these two international publishing houses were also involved.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: I went abroad and returned to Bangladesh nearly 20 years ago. Not for a moment during these 20 years have I felt that I made the wrong decision. If I had been afraid of being burdened by “troubles and pressures”, I probably would not have taken that decision. However, I can say that there is a sense of frustration when, after leaving behind the relatively trouble-free life of teaching and research, one takes up an uncertain profession such as academic publishing in Bangladesh and, at times, finds oneself in situations that are humiliating. I prefer to see it this way: these experiences enrich life in many ways. They also test one’s character and patience. That, to me, is what remains as a gain.

The book was subsequently reviewed by countless readers, many of whom had known Sheikh Mujibur Rahman personally and were familiar with his language, mindset and manner of expression. Even reviews by many people who were not supporters of the Awami League or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, or who belonged to the opposing camp, provide evidence of the book’s significance and originality.

I am not sure whether those who express such doubts have the intellectual capacity to read the book. Because in this book, Sheikh Mujib’s explanation of the rationale behind Pakistan and the causes of communal conflict, in many cases, challenges the nationalist narrative of history.

Mahrukh Mohiuddin: I left abroad and returned to Bangladesh nearly 20 years ago. Not for a moment during these 20 years have I felt that I made the wrong decision. If I had been afraid of being burdened by “troubles and pressures,” I probably would not have taken that decision. However, I can say that there is a sense of frustration when, after leaving behind the relatively trouble-free life of teaching and research, one takes up an uncertain profession such as academic publishing in Bangladesh and, at times, finds oneself in situations that are humiliating. I prefer to see it this way: these experiences enrich life in many ways. They also test one’s character and patience. That, to me, is what remains as a gain.