Actress Pori Moni will no longer attend the ‘Fashion Vanguard Award 2026’ in Chattogram after local journalists protested against her over alleged misconduct towards a fellow journalist at a Dhaka court premises.
The event organisers confirmed the decision to the media on Saturday, 7 November, saying they had removed the actress from the programme following the controversy and subsequent protests.
According to the organisers, they had signed an agreement with Pori Moni 17 days before the court incident.
However, allegations of disrespectful behaviour towards a media worker and objections from journalists in Chattogram prompted them to reconsider her participation. They also expressed solidarity with the journalists’ demands.
On Friday night, Pori Moni shared a poster of the ‘Chattogram Fashion Vanguard Award 2026’ on her Facebook account, accompanied by the message, “See you, dear Chattogram.”
The post caught the attention of Faruk Munir, a former executive member of the Chattogram Press Club and a journalist with Kaler Kantho.
Sharing the poster on social media, he urged the organisers to choose another guest unless the actress publicly apologised to Robi, a journalist with Daily Samakal, and his mother.
His post sparked further protests and resentment among journalists in Chattogram. In response, the organisers issued a revised event poster that no longer featured Pori Moni.
The ‘Fashion Vanguard Award 2026’ will take place on 28 November at a community centre in Chattogram’s Khulshi area.
