The revelation that his nephews were selling Bengal’s rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s fame for money over the years by using the official seals and letterheads of a governmentowned body, without permission, has shocked state ministers, senior administrators of the Kazi Nazrul University (KNU) here, as well as the poet’s direct descendants who now live in Kolkata and Dhaka.

State law minister Moloy Ghatak said, “This is a misdemeanour and the offenders need to be penalised. I’ll ask the KNU authorities to initiate legal steps against such miscreants.” Dr Somnath Mukherjee, deputy director, KNU’s research centre said, “After the Nazrul Mela is over on Sunday, the university will initiate proper actions against the ousted general secretary of the Churulia Nazrul Academy (CNA) as we’ve collected evidence of some financial irregularities against him as he’d remained a habitual offender in using the poet’s name and fame for his personal and family’s gain in an unauthorized way.” Kazi Rezaul Karim, the general secretary of the CNA, was removed after the academy was acquired by the KNU, but continued to issue letters seeking financial assistance from traders and industrialists.

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“What we’ve gathered, he’s minted several lakhs of rupees this way,” said a KNU official. “I’m shocked to learn that Rezaul uncle is still doing such a nuisance.

I condemn his acts as it’s already maligned the dignity of my grandfather,” said Arindam Kazi, poet’s direct descendant and grandson.

Rezaul, once a country liquor retailer and owner of a transport company, however helped his two sons, Supriyo Kazi and Shanto Kazi to manage berths at the newly-constituted KNU as office staff. In his letters to the entrepreneurs seeking ‘financial assistance’, Rezaul mentioned his identity as “by birth, nephew of Kazi Nazrul Islam