The Jharkhand government on Friday banned Sahitya Akademi award winning writer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s book, The Adivasi Will Not Dance, alleging that it hurt the dignity of women of the Santhal tribe, The Telegraph reported. The book, published in November 2015, is a collection of short stories. The author is a doctor based in Pakur district of Jharkhand.
The matter was raised in the Jharkhand Assembly on Friday by Opposition leader Sita Soren. The Santhal legislator said the book insulted the women of the tribe, and that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha demand a ban on the book.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das later directed Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma to seize copies of the book. The chief minister also ordered that a First Information Report be filed against Shekhar, PTI reported.
Earlier, critics and online trolls had accused Shekhar of objectifying and exploiting Adivasi women, and alleged that his writing is “pure porn”. On August 4, his detractors had burnt his effigy and copies of two of his books – The Adivasi Will Not Dance and The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey (Sahitya Akademi Award winner, 2014).
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