Bangladesh-born author Taslima Nasrin to be back in Kolkata after nearly two decades

Bangladeshi-born author Taslima Nasrin is set to return to Kolkata for the first time in nearly two decades to attend a literary event on August 1, her first public appearance in the city since she was forced to leave in 2007 following violent protests over her writings.

The event, themed around opposition to fundamentalism, will be held at Rabindra Sadan and is being organised by Secular Mission, Human Rights and Bangladesh Freedom Fighters' Foundation (HRBFF) and Poschimbongyer Jonnyo (For West Bengal), according to a report by The Telegraph.

At the event, Taslima will recite her poems, participate in a discussion on free thought and fundamentalism, and attend a civic reception in her honour.

West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari is likely to attend the reception, along with state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta, former BJP state president Tathagata Roy, and prominent Bengali literary figures.

Security assurance paved the way

Talking to The Telegraph, Osman Gani Mallick of Secular Mission said the organisers approached chief minister Suvendu Adhikari in late June with the proposal to invite Nasrin back to Kolkata.

"He said the state government would take care of her security and asked us to arrange for the rest," Mallick said. He added that Taslima will arrive in Kolkata a day before the event and stay in the city for two days.

Earlier, speaking to The Indian Express, Mallick had said the author would also speak about her years in exile and the circumstances that forced her to leave Kolkata.

Return after 19 years

Taslima, a physician-turned-author, fled Bangladesh in 1994 after receiving death threats over her writings, particularly her 1993 novel Lajja (Shame), which portrays the persecution of a Hindu family in Bangladesh following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

She later moved to Kolkata after receiving a temporary residence permit from the Indian government in 2004 and lived there until 2007.

However, widespread protests erupted over her autobiographical work Dwikhandito (Split: A Life), which was accused by some groups of hurting religious sentiments.

The then CPM-led Left Front government under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee banned the book, citing concerns over communal tension, though the Calcutta High Court later lifted the ban.

Violent protests in Kolkata in November 2007 eventually forced her to leave the city. The army was called in to restore order after hours of unrest in central Kolkata. She was first flown to Jaipur and later shifted to Delhi.

Taslima currently resides in Delhi on a long-term residence permit.

Political reactions

Welcoming Nasrin's return, West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul criticised previous governments for failing to ensure the author's safety.

"The Left government failed to provide security to a talented writer like Taslima Nasrin. They practised politics in the name of Muslims but could not protect her. As for Mamata Banerjee's tenure, I don't even want to get into that. I have heard she is returning, and I am a great admirer of her books," Paul told news agency ANI.

Former CPM leader and ex-Jadavpur MLA Sujan Chakraborty, however, rejected allegations that the Left government alone was responsible for Nasrin's departure.

He told The Telegraph that the decisions regarding the residence of foreign nationals rest with the Union government and suggested Nasrin could have visited Kolkata earlier had the Centre facilitated it.

The organisers said the event is intended to celebrate "mukto chinta ar mukto bhabna" (free thought and free thinking) and send a message against religious fundamentalism rather than revisit past political controversies.