Several online bookshops and book-related groups have banned Zafar Iqbal over his handwritten statement on Dhaka University students demanding quota reforms in government jobs drew widespread criticism on social media.
His statement, which went viral on Tuesday, read, ‘Dhaka University is my university, my beloved university. But I think I will never want to go to this university again. Whenever I see the students, I will think, perhaps they are ‘razakar’. And as long as I live, I do not want to see the face of any razakar. We only have one life, why should I have to see razakars again in this life?’
The statement sparked discussion and debate among supporters and participants in the ongoing quota reforms movement.
Several renowned and popular book related groups on Facebook such as BoiPoka, Boipokader addakhana and several other groups posted that from now on they ban Zafar Iqbal and will not allow or promote any of his literary works or posts related to his literary creations.
A number of prominent online bookshops, including Books of Bengal, Universal Book Shop, Bangla Bazar Books, Bookshop BD, Book Fiesta, Grontho Bazar and others have posted that from now on they will not sell any of Zafar Iqbal’s books on their platforms.
Rokomari Dot Com, the country’s largest online bookshop, however, not posted any public statement but removed more than 230 of his published books from its website, which are not available to purchase since Wednesday morning.
The younger brother of Bangladesh’s most popular author Humayun Ahmed and the elder brother of renowned cartoonist-satirist Ahsan Habib, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal gained prominence for his literary works including books-turned children films such as ‘Dipu Number 2’, ‘Amar Bondhu Rashed’ and more.