Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- With an eye on the Assembly polls due next year, the West Bengal government run by Mamata Banerjee has postponed a literary festival following protests by Islamist groups against the presence of lyricist and Javed Akhtar.

The TMC-run government-run West Bengal Urdu Academy had warned of strict protests if Akhtar's invitation wasn't withdrawn, reports The Hindu.

Urdu in Hindi Cinema, was scheduled to be conduted between August 31 and September 3, in Kolkata.

The event was meant to hail the "rich contributions of Urdu to Indian cinema through discussions, poetry recitations, and cultural performances."

Akhtar was suppsoed to be the chief guest at an important mushairaon September 1.

However, city-based Islamist orga...