The West Bengal Urdu Academy has postponed its four-day annual festival, which was scheduled to celebrate “Urdu in Hindi cinema” from August 31 to September 3, following objections from certain Islamic organisations to the participation of poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Academy secretary Nuzhat Zainab announced the decision in a brief press note, stating, “Due to unavoidable circumstances, the four-day programme of the West Bengal Urdu Academy scheduled from August 31 to September 3, is being postponed.”

While the Academy cited unavoidable reasons, reports indicate that the move came after at least two organisations – the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyain Foundation – raised objections to Akhtar’s presence.

According to IANS, the groups opposed his invitation on the grounds of his public statements about Islam.

Confirming their objection, Zillur Rahman, general secretary of the Kolkata unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said they had formally written to the Academy.

“Javed Akhtar has spoken a lot of nonsense against Islam, against Muslims, and against Allah. This person is not a human but a devil in human guise. Do not include Javed Akhtar in this program,” he said.

Their letter further noted, “There are many good poets, writers, and journalists in the Urdu world who can be invited to this programme.”

The event, titled Urdu in Hindi Cinema, had been planned to showcase the contribution of Urdu to Indian films through discussions, poetry recitations, and cultural performances.

Akhtar, widely celebrated for his decades of work in poetry, lyrics, and dialogues, was scheduled to preside over a mushaira on Sunday.

Rahman argued that while the festival was a matter of joy for Bengal’s Urdu-speaking community, Akhtar’s presence had sparked “a lot of unease among people.”

Reiterating his stance, he said, “Javed Akhtar has spoken a lot of nonsense against Islam, against Muslims, and against Allah. This person is not a human but a devil in human guise.”

In response, activist Shabnam Hashmi came out in support of Akhtar and criticised the decision to postpone the festival. Hashmi, sister of late playwright and activist Safdar Hashmi, condemned the growing space given to “Muslim right-wing” organisations.

“This is the beginning. I have been shouting from the roof top , telling my fellow senior activists and the young ones to stop legitimising platforms run by the Muslim right,” she said in a post on X.

Hashmi added that she had faced isolation in Delhi’s civil society due to her refusal to share platforms with such groups.

“I have been systematically pushed to a corner within the Delhi civil society because I refused to share platforms with Muslim right-wing orgs while a large number of senior activists are fooling themselves in the name of fighting against majoritarian politics,” she said.

She further argued that the fight for democracy and minority dignity must remain grounded in constitutional values.

“Struggle for democracy, equality, dignity of minorities- Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs can be fought only within the framework of the Constitution,” she noted.

Offering solidarity, she tagged Javed Akhtar and proposed an alternative.

“If you are open to it, I will organise the program in Kolkata. Dekhti hoon kiski himmat hai jo rok de (Let's see who dares to stop it),” she said.