In 2007, demonstrations in parts of the city, particularly in minority-dominated areas, escalated into law-and-order disturbances.
Photo: IANS/File
Bangladeshi author-activist Taslima Nasrin who is known for her controversial statements, is set to visit Kolkata after a long hiatus of around 19 years, to participate in a literary event at Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata on August 1.
The visit marks her first public appearance in Bengal since she left Kolkata in 2007 following widespread protests and security concerns over her writings.
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The event is being organised jointly by several organisations, including Secular Mission, Poschimbonger Pokhkhe and Human Rights and Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Foundation (HRBFF), a human rights organisation.
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The programme where West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is likely to be present, will feature recitations of Nasrin’s poems, songs based on her literary works and discussions on her contribution to literature and free expression.
Speaking to The Statesman, Mohit Roy of Poschimbonger Pokhkhe said, “Taslima Nasrin had to leave Kolkata because of some fundamentalists supported by the Left Front government. Though there was no legal restriction preventing Taslima Nasrin from visiting West Bengal, previous governments had failed to facilitate her return because they had yielded to pressure from fundamentalist groups.”
“There is a new government in the state, and we approached our chief minister, and he assured full security to the author. We also invited the chief minister, and he gave his consent. He will also be present during the felicitation of the author. Celebrated author Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay will also be present,” Roy said.
Osman Mallick, the prime voice behind Secular Mission, the organisation responsible for facilitating the return of Nasrin, told The Statesman, “Taslima Nasrin is a symbol of resistance against religious fundamentalism. She was barred from entering West Bengal because of some political reasons. With the coming of the BJP government, there is a new environment and we are getting a chance to bring back the celebrated author.”
“She has always considered Kolkata to be home and wanted to stay here. It was because of the political compulsions of some political parties, she had to stay outside the state. She is very happy to come back to her beloved city after two decades,” Osman said.
Taslima Nasrin’s departure from Kolkata in 2007 followed violent protests over the publication of her book ‘Dwikhandita’.
Demonstrations in parts of the city, particularly in minority-dominated areas, escalated into law-and-order disturbances, prompting the deployment of the Army to restore normalcy.
The then Left Front government led by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee banned the controversial book in West Bengal and subsequently asked the author to leave the state in the interest of maintaining public order.
Although the ban on the book was later lifted, Nasrin did not return to live in Kolkata.
During the tenure of the Trinamool Congress government, she also remained away from the state, with what her supporters often described as an unofficial restriction on her return.
Her scheduled visit on August 1 is therefore being seen as a significant development, marking her return to the city that she once regarded as a second home.
The event is expected to draw writers, intellectuals, civil society representatives and supporters of free expression, while security arrangements are likely to remain in focus given the controversy that has historically surrounded the author’s presence in West Bengal.
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