Dhaka, March 2 -- Poet Mohon Raihan has not attended the ceremony to receive the Bangla Academy Literary Award, saying he had not received any "formal invitation or letter" from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

The ministry had announced in a statement on Saturday that the award would be presented to him at 11am on Monday.

However, Raihan told bdnews24.com that without an official communication from the ministry, he would not attend the ceremony.

"I said at the press conference that the award should be presented in a dignified process by the prime minister. But I have not received any formal invitation or letter from the ministry. That is why I did not go," he said.

On Sunday, Raihan had said he would accept the award "in the greater...