remembered Ghosh as a man who fought for communal harmony throughout his life.

Those who were present included poet Sankha Ghosh, professor Amlan Dutta, historian Amit De and senior IPS officer Najrul Islam.

Poet Sankha Ghosh said that Gourkishore Ghosh was a fearless person, had a free mind and lived a simple life. “When Babri Masjid was demolished, he was in advanced years, but he travelled to remote areas of Bhagalpur to understand the view of Muslims,” said Ghosh.

IPS officer Nazrul Islam said that the author’s works had helped in shaping his thought in his childhood.

“Our community has not been able to progress because neither the British nor the state government has ever taken the question of Muslim education

seriously,” Islam said. He added that all colleges and universities are set up in Hindu majority areas. Thus, Murshidabad with 64 per cent Muslim population or Malda with 50 per cent Muslim population still don’t have any university.

“West Bengal is a secular state yet there has been no Muslim chief minister, or police commissioner or home secretary in the past sixty years,” he added.

Social activist Ayesha Khatun, who spoke on the condition of Muslim women in India, particularly West Bengal, she said: “Muslim women are backward because the state and the society wants them to be backward.”