"Books on sensitive issues that could result in political dispute would not be allowed"

Controversy erupted at the Kolkata International Book Fair with the organisers of the event denying permission to release a book at one of their auditoriums on Monday on the ground that it dealt with"a sensitive issue that could create political dispute".

Publishers of the book in Bengali " Parijayee Nari O Manabadhikar (Migrant women and human rights) which contains the first Maitrayee Bandyopadhyay lecture delivered by the former chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women Jasodhara Bagchi in May 2013 " expressed surprise over the development, stating that there was nothing"sensitive" in the book.

"The organisers of the book fair have become so afraid that they will not even allow a discussion on women rights. The book is broadly about the migration of women, their rights and the challenges which they have to face during migration," Soma Marik, a representative of Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Manch, (Forum Against Atrocities on Women), a women"™s rights organisation involved in publication of the book, said.

The representatives of the organisation said that they would release the book on February 5 at the Press Club in the city.

Tridib Banerjee, general secretary of Publishers and Booksellers Guild, organisers of the Book Fair, said that the organisers had decided three months ago that the release of books on sensitive issues that could result in political dispute would not be allowed to be released at their auditorium.

Mr. Banerjee said that while they cannot release the book at the auditorium of the guild they (publishers) could do it at any of the stalls.

Asked by journalists on the objection to release the book, Mr. Banerjee said that the chief guest of the event to release the book was Miratun Nahar, who had publicly criticised the State government for crime against women and she could have made similar comments at the event also. The decision against releasing the book was taken to avoid such a situation.

Ms Nahar, a well-known social activist and writer, said that the decision was against democracy and the culture of the Book Fair.

"I am sure that the organisers of the Book Fair have taken the decision at the behest of the State government," she said, adding that the government believes that the protest against the rising cases of crime against women is propaganda against it.

Actor Soumitra Chatterjee also said that there was no reason why the book should not have been allowed to be released."The subject of the book had nothing to do with politics and it concerns society," he said.