India, Sept. 1 -- The West Bengal Urdu Academy has postponed a four-day cultural event following objections by the West Bengal Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind to the government-supported academy's invitation to poet- lyricist Javed Akhtar, officials familiar with the development said.

The Bengal unit of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind is headed by Trinamool Congress leader and Bengal's mass education extension and library services minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury. On Saturday, the organisation wrote to the academy claiming that Javed Akhtar's presence would hurt the sentiments of the minority community, claiming that the lyricist had made objectionable statements on Islam in the past.

The event, Urdu in Hindi Cinema, was to start on Saturday and showcase the...