Bengal Urdu Academy cancels literary event over invitation to lyricist Javed Akhtar, draws backlash

Akhtar. who was invited to the programme as chief guest, was to participate in a panel discussion on a topic titled “Urdu in Hindi Cinema”.

The invitation to Akhtar, a regular at cultural events in Kolkata, had sparked outrage among groups like the Jamiat Ulema, Kolkata, and the Wahyain Foundation. Jamiat Ulema Kolkata’s general secretary Zillur Rahman Arif even publicly referred to Akhtar as a “Shaitan” (devil).

In a letter to the Urdu Academy, the group claimed Akhtar had “spoken a lot of nonsense against Islam, against Muslims, and against Allah” which caused “unease among people”.

They demanded that the Academy replace him with a “capable and respected individual” who holds respect for faith and God. The warning in their letter, referencing a past protest that “forced her to leave Bengal,” was a chilling reminder of the protests Bangla writer Taslima Nasreen had faced.

The controversy ignited a debate in the state about freedom of expression, tolerance, and the influence of religious groups on cultural affairs.

Sabir Ahmed, a Kolkata-based researcher, said, “There should be some freedom of expression. A person is religious or atheist is his own choice… Calling off a programme because the chief guest had said something in some other context is not a welcoming thing. We are becoming intolerant. We must tolerate different opinions.”

Poet and filmmaker Gauhar Raza also voiced his disappointment on social media, calling the cancellation “deeply disturbing and unacceptable”. He drew a parallel between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalists, noting that both are “equally determined to silence the voices of rationality”, and praised Akhtar as a “firm, clear, loud, and creative voice of rationality”.

The Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) also issued a press release condemning the cancellation, highlighting the broader implications for democratic rights.

Social activist Manzar Jameel, in a social media post, challenged the protesters’ motives and arguments. “If people had issues with his ideas, they could have confronted him there. Clearly, that is not their real purpose,” he wrote. Jameel defended the personal beliefs of artists and intellectuals, stating, “Thoughts, ideas, or beliefs of any writer or intellectual are his personal domain.”

He argued that “writers, poets, artists, filmmakers, singers — they live in a different universe. You cannot cage them in your narrow definitions….the Urdu Academy is a “literary body—not a madrasa, not a religious institution,” he said, urging the protesters to engage in debates rather than resorting to boycotts and threats.