Bangladeshi police on Wednesday warned writers and publishers against the sale and display of books that may hurt ‘religious sentiments’ as the Muslim-majority nation’s largest book fair began here amid tight security following attacks on secular writers and bloggers. (Representational Image) Bangladeshi police on Wednesday warned writers and publishers against the sale and display of books that may hurt ‘religious sentiments’ as the Muslim-majority nation’s largest book fair began here amid tight security following attacks on secular writers and bloggers. (Representational Image)

Bangladeshi police on Wednesday warned writers and publishers against the sale and display of books that may hurt ‘religious sentiments’ as the Muslim-majority nation’s largest book fair began here amid tight security following attacks on secular writers and bloggers. The month-long Ekushey Book Fair will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

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Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia assured writers, publishers and attendees that ample security measures have been taken. The commissioner also asked writers and publishers to abstain from the sale and display of books that may ‘attack religious sentiments’.

“Organisers must ensure that none of the books on display and for sale attack religious sentiments. We will investigate any complaints we receive,” Mia said.

“Our plainclothesmen will enforce a vigil against display of any such books and actions will be taken against concerned authors and publishers,” he told reporters.

Mia justified the warning saying “the Penal Code suggested that if someone’s speech or activities attack others’ religious beliefs and leads to a communal clash, then he or she cannot be considered a freethinker (and) our ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Act does not permit such activities either”.

All possible security measures will be taken, said Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor. Anyone entering the fair will have to pass through security checks.

“Everyone will have to pass through security before entering the fair,” said the minister at an inter-ministry meeting.

Over 2,000 plainclothes security personnel have been deployed, 250 CCTV cameras have been set up to guard the venue as part of security measures to prevent any untoward incident during fair.

The fair, one of Bangladesh’s keynote secular cultural events, has drawn wraths of Islamists or militants.

Bangladesh has witnessed a spate of violent attacks against secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, foreigners, and members of religious minorities in 2016.

Although Islamist extremist groups, including the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for most of these killings, the government blamed domestic groups.

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