Kolkata Book Fair cancelled the release of Taslima Nasreen's latest book, Nirbashan, which was scheduled at 3 pm Tuesday.
The organisers of the fair, Publishers and Booksellers Guild, telephoned the publisher to cancel the auditorium booking, The Times of India said.
"We were told that since the Kolkata Literary Meet ended late last night, the hall could not be prepared for our programme. But unofficially we have been told that since the book is Taslima's, and she is a banned author, it was blacked out," said Shibani Mukherjee, the publisher.
The book was, however, released at the stall a little while later by the publisher, ignoring the "insult meted out to us by the Guild."
The book was released by author Nabarun Bhattacharya, son of Mahasweta Devi. Among the others present were writer Ranjan Bandopadhyay and human rights activist Sujato Bhadra.
Immediately after the release, a group of activists belonging to the All India Minority Forum marched to the spot and started protesting against the release. A heated altercation took place between the publishers of the book and the demonstrators.
"Nasrin has written against Islam repeatedly. She is doing this at the insistence of the US. She will not be allowed here. We are upset that her publisher has ceremoniously organised release of her book. Such ceremony has been deliberately organised to insult our community," Abdul Aziz, a spokesperson for the forum, was quoted as saying by the paper.
The Guild clarified its stand in the evening by saying that it had taken the decision to cancel the release firstly because the hall was not ready and also because the release might have affected security of the thousands of visitors at the fair, The Times of India added.
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The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair – the venue of which is a get-together of Bengalis, kicked off at the Bangla Academy premises on Wednesday.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the fair at around 4pm. The fair was opened to the public right after the prime minister's inaugural speech.
Eminent contemporary Bengali fiction writer and playwright Humayun Ahmed, who is undergoing treatment got colon cancer in New York, had his novel 'Megher Upor Bari' published on the first day of the fair.
Visitors in numbers, mostly young, started to crowd Dhaka University's TSC area, Suhrawardy Udyan and Doyel Chattar hours before the fair started.
"I am very disheartened that I will not be able to have Humayun Ahmed's autograph this year during the fair," one of the visitors, school student Imrul Hossain told .
"He should (if he can) come to the fair for at least one day," the fan added.
Dhaka University student Sadia Hasan Mim said February was the best time to get close to the writers.
"Everything changes with the arrival of February. The book fair influences our every work during the month. And Humayun Ahmed is the centre of attention at the month-long fair.
"I will be waiting for him to join the fair," she added.
Seven of Humayun Ahmed's books will be published in this fair.
'Megher Upor Bari', 'Himu Ebong Harvard PHD', 'Boltu Bhai', 'New Yorker Nil Akashe Jhakjhake Rod', 'Payer tolay Kharam, 'Dewal' and 'Bachai Golpo Rachanabalir 5th edition' have been published by Onno Prokash and Kakoli has published the other book.
Onno Prokash director Abdullah Naser believed that the absence of Humayun Ahmed would not have impact the fair. "Humayun Ahmed would come to the fair three or four times a month if he was staying in the country."
Naser told Ahmed would be present at the fair through his writings.