Bangla Academy removes poster amid criticism of historical distortion

Bangla Academy has taken down a poster displayed along the route from TSC to Doel Chattar during the ongoing Amar Ekushey Boi Mela following criticism over its historical inaccuracies. 

The poster, titled "The Spirit of '52 is the Inspiration of '24", was removed after it was found to have presented a 1971 photo as if it were from the 1952 Language Movement, it explained.

The 1971 photo, which was mistakenly used to represent 1952, happens to feature Kazi Ferdous Haque Linu, a freedom fighter.

Sharing a post alongside the photo on Facebook, Linu said, “I strongly protest this. The photo is from 1971, not 1952. There was no independence slogan in 1952.” 

Director General of the Bangla Academy Mohammad Azam clarified that the poster was not created by the Academy but by an external party.

“It escaped our attention initially, but we removed it as soon as we were informed,” he said. 

An anonymous Bangla Academy official suggested the mistake may have originated from the event management company involved.