Civil society condemns UPL showroom attack over sale of ‘The Unfinished Memoirs’
A group of 36 citizens has condemned an incident at University Press Limited’s Banglabazar showroom over demands to stop selling The Unfinished Memoirs, saying disagreement with a book cannot justify intimidating publishers, booksellers or readers.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the signatories demanded an impartial investigation into the September 28 incident and legal action against those responsible.
They also called for an investigation into the role of police following allegations that two UPL sales staff were taken to a police outpost and detained.
“We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Banglabazar showroom of University Press Limited (UPL) on September 28, 2026, over demands to stop the sale of the book The Unfinished Memoirs,” the statement said.
According to an account published by UPL on social media and cited in the civil society statement, several individuals entered the showroom and behaved aggressively.
They allegedly pulled down the shop’s shutter and harassed two sales staff.
The statement said allegations had also emerged that the two employees were subsequently taken to a police outpost and detained there.
“The intimidation of employees of a publishing house in this manner over a book is a matter of serious concern,” the signatories said.
The statement stressed that people were free to disagree with a book, criticise its contents or debate its arguments.
But that freedom, it said, did not extend to preventing others from publishing, selling or reading it.
“Whether a book is banned must be determined through due process of law, not by declarations or pressure from any individual or group,” the statement said.
The signatories said the principle should apply to writers, publishers and readers regardless of their political positions.
‘Discussion, research and reasoned argument’
The statement described The Unfinished Memoirs as an important work for the study of Bangladesh’s history while acknowledging that assessments of the book could differ.
Such disagreements should be expressed through “discussion, research and reasoned argument,” it said, rather than through attacks on bookshops or harassment of their employees.
The signatories warned that if such incidents were allowed to continue, publishers could face increasing constraints on their ability to publish books freely, while readers could encounter restrictions on choosing what they wanted to read.
They demanded an impartial investigation into what happened at the Banglabazar showroom and legal action against anyone found responsible.
The statement separately called for scrutiny of the police response.
“The role of the police must also be investigated regarding the allegation that the sales staff were taken to a police outpost and detained there,” it said.
The group also demanded security for UPL employees and for publishers and booksellers more broadly, saying they should be able to carry out their work without fear.
“Protecting freedom of expression and the space for intellectual inquiry is the responsibility of both the state and society,” the statement said.
It called on writers, readers, publishers and other citizens to speak out against the incident.
The 36 signatories
The statement was signed by lawyers, academics, journalists, writers, researchers, artists and rights activists. The signatories, listed in no particular order, are:
Sara Hossain, senior advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Kazi Zahed Iqbal, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Mosahida Sultana, teacher, University of Dhaka
Samina Luthfa, teacher, University of Dhaka
Rushad Faridi, teacher, University of Dhaka
Bithi Ghosh, artist and cultural organiser
Manzur Al Matin, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Abeda Gulrukh, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Md Zarif Rahman, research director, Sopran
Apsara Islam Tandra, human rights researcher
Priya Ahsan Chowdhury, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Saidiya Gulrukh, journalist and researcher
Shahidul Alam, photographer
Rehnuma Ahmed, writer and activist
Faisal Mahmud, managing editor, Daily Waadaa
Masud Rana, advocate, District and Sessions Judge Court, Dhaka
Fahim Mashroor, Voice for Reform
Firdous Azim, professor, BRAC University
Pavel Partha, writer and researcher
Farhana Sharmin Imu, architect and human rights activist
Mohammad Amirul Haque (Tuhin), advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Dr Sharif Bhuiyan, senior advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Md Muntasir Rahman, LGBTQI+ rights activist and founding president, Byanjana Foundation
Safia Azim
Zia Hassan, economist
Swapan Adnan
Mohammad Rakinul Hakim, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Tasnim Siraj Mahbub, teacher, University of Dhaka
Rani Yan Yan, indigenous rights defender
Maheen Sultan, researcher and women’s rights activist
Dr Shafikur Rahman, director, BRAIN
Gita Das, movement secretary, Naripokkho
Hameeda Hossain, human rights activist
Khushi Kabir, social activist
Syed Hasibuddin Hossain, Citizens’ Coalition
Nafiul Alam Shupto, advocate, District and Sessions Judge Court, Dhaka