NRC demands action against anti-Muslim plots in Bangladesh
The National Revolutionary Council (NRC) has called on the interim government to take strict action against what it describes as a conspiracy of transnational Islamophobes against Muslims in Bangladesh.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, NRC Assistant Member Secretary Ghalib Ihsan alleged that Islamophobic forces were working to demonise Muslims in the country.
He claimed that the Amar Ekushey Book Fair incident, where two students were allegedly beaten while the slogan "Joy Bangla" was chanted, was part of a larger scheme to justify attacks on Muslims.
The NRC's statement alleged that Sabyasachi Publishing House was selling a book titled Chumban (Kiss) by controversial writer Taslima Nasrin, whom the group accused of being an Islamophobe and a supporter of the July genocide.
According to the NRC, young activists protested online after discovering the book at the fair.
In response, Shahbagh police reportedly asked the publisher, Mehran Sanjana, to remove the book, but she refused. Instead, she allegedly spread false claims on Facebook that her publishing house was under threat.
The statement further alleged that on Monday evening, students confronted the stall over the book. During the exchange, Mehran Sanjana’s husband Shatabdi Bhaba, who was present at the stall, allegedly insulted the students, declared his support for Taslima Nasrin, and even punched two madrasa students. He shouted "Joy Bangla", labelling the protesters as militants and fundamentalists. Police later intervened, taking him into custody and shutting down the stall of Sabyasachi.
The NRC statement accused international media of exploiting the incident to spread anti-Muslim narratives. It cited India’s Anandabazar Patrika, which reportedly framed the book fair confrontation as an act of extremism. The NRC warned that such portrayals could be used to justify external interventions, including airstrikes against Muslims in Bangladesh.
The NRC urged the interim government to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, ensure transparency in reporting the facts, and take action against those responsible for inciting religious tensions.
