Jharkhand bans Dr Hansda Sowvendra Sekhar’s book for ‘hurting’ Santhali women’s dignity
The Jharkhand government today banned the sale of a book, ‘The Adivasi will not dance’, for allegedly hurting the dignity of Santhal tribal women.
Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das has directed authorities to ban a controversial book, The Adivasi Will Not Dance, by Hansda Showvendra Sekhar, a government doctor posted in Pakur, for putting tribals in bad light. According to the Sahitya Akademi award winning writer, the book is a collection of short stories that highlights the plight of the state’s santhal population, especially women, who are subjected to inhuman sexual exploitation when they migrate to other states for work.
The book rocked the first half of Jharkhand assembly on Friday when both the opposition and ruling benches agreed it put the tribals of the state to shame. “The chief minister late Friday night asked the chief secretary to order banning the book. He has also sought legal actions against the author, printer and publisher of the book,” a CMO official said.
Raising the matter, Jarkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Sita Soren alleged that the language used by the author in the book was in bad in taste. Parliamentary affairs minister Saryu Roy, too, admitted it carried objectionable content and assured the government would take action against the author soon. He said the deputy commissioner of Pakur has been asked to carry out a probe and initiate legal proceedings against the author.
“The House will be informed about the outcome of the probe on Saturday,” he said.
JMM and Congress legislators raised their objection to the book, and stressed that the author, in the book’s third chapter, November is a Month of Migrations, painted adivasi women in bad light.
Besides serving as medical officer with the government, Sekhar is a contemporary writer whose stories have been published in various journals and newspapers in India.
Pakur police superintendent, Shailendra Burnwal said he was waiting for orders from the government to take legal action on the issue.
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