Dhaka, Jan 25 (V7N) —The announcement of winners for the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024 has been suspended.
On Saturday night, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the interim government's cultural affairs adviser, confirmed the decision in a post on his verified Facebook account.
In his post, Farooki wrote: "The announced list of names for the Bangla Academy Award has been suspended."
Explaining the decision further, he added: "It is also important to note that the flawed policies enabling such questionable and clique-driven awards need urgent review. Our first task is to reassess them. We also need to examine how Bangla Academy is run and what policies guide it. We are now moving towards a complete overhaul of the academy. If the country is being reformed, why not Bangla Academy?"
When contacted, Professor Mohammad Azam, director general of Bangla Academy, said: "It has been suspended due to a special situation. A clarification has also been provided on Bangla Academy’s website."
Earlier, on January 23, Bangla Academy announced the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024 for ten poets and writers.
END/MSS/AJ
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