Rajshahi Chhatra Dal leaders demand seizure of 300 books from mobile library

The seized books are written on Banglabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, and other Awami League leaders

The district administration in Rajshahi has seized around 300 books from a “mobile library” following demands from Chhatra Dal activists.

The books were written on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, and Obaidul Quader.

An executive magistrate of the district administration conducted a search of the mobile library and seized the books around 2:30pm on Wednesday.

Those involved said leaders of the city unit of Chhatra Dal took the library bus from the Rajshahi College campus to the deputy commissioner’s office around 11:30am, alleging that it contained books on top Awami League leaders.

Two executive magistrates later searched the bus on behalf of the district administration.

During the search, nearly 300 books related to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, and Obaidul Quader were seized.

Jahangir Alam, the officer in charge of the mobile library, said there was no separate facility in Rajshahi to store the books, so they had been kept inside the bus.

“However, these books were not being made available to readers,” he said.

The mobile library initiative, jointly run by the Directorate of Public Libraries under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, works to promote reading habits in different parts of Bangladesh.