Bengali Books Proscribed Under the Raj

Bengali Books Proscribed Under the Raj is an English translation of Sisir Kar's Bengali book British Shasoney Bajeyapto Bangla Boi published in 1988 by Ananda Publishers Pvt. Ltd. it analyses the historical background of the national movement in Bengal and the events that led to the proscription of a large number of Bengali publications. The dread of the free diffusion of knowledge had always prompted the panicky government to impose restrictions on press freedom. The first Press Act was introduced in 1823 by the then Governor General John Adams, when the avowed policy of the government had been to keep the natives of India in the profoundest possible state of barbarism and darkness.

As the revolutionary movement in Bengal gained momentum, particularly after 1905, the government conveniently introduced new laws to suppress the freedom of expression. The press Act of 1910 was followed by a series of draconian laws, which obviously helped the rulers in their attempt to gag the press. Scores of books, newspaper, magazines and even manuscripts were banned under the Indian Press (Emergency Powers) act of 1931 and the Defence of India Rules, a systematic account of which has been chronicled in this book. Meticulously documented, this treatise on banned Bengali books is a most through going study based on almost all available evidences.