Kolkata: The West Bengal Urdu Academy, on Saturday, postponed its four-day cultural event starting from August 31, which was scheduled to be attended by renowned poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar.
Nuzhat Zainab, West Bengal Urdu Academy Secretary, said the event was postponed due to unavoidable circumstances.
In a brief press statement, Zainab said, “Due to unavoidable circumstances, the four-day programme of the West Bengal Urdu Academy scheduled from August 31 to September 3, is being postponed.”
However, sources said the event has been postponed after Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s Kolkata unit raised their formal objection to Javed Akhtar being the chief guest to the Urdu Academy event.
A few days back, the political outfit wrote a letter to the West Bengal Urdu Academy in this regard.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s Kolkata unit General Secretary Zillur Rahman Arif opposed the invitation of Javed Akhtar as the chief guest at the Kolkata Mushaira.
“We have sent a letter to the Urdu Academy. We have appealed to the Vice-Chairman of the Urdu Academy that this programme is a matter of joy for the whole of West Bengal, but inviting Javed Akhtar to it has caused a lot of unease among people. Javed Akhtar has spoken a lot of bad things against Islam, against Muslims, and against Allah. This person is not a human but a devil in human guise. Do not include Javed Akhtar in this programme,” he said.
He added that the event is a matter of joy for the whole of West Bengal, but inviting Akhtar to it has caused a lot of unease among the people within the Muslim community.
In the letter, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said that it is not right to invite such a person to any prestigious programme in the Urdu language.
“There are many good poets, writers, and journalists in the Urdu world who can be invited to this programme,” it added.
(IANS)
