Exiled Bangladeshi Writer Taslima Nasreen Makes Emotional Return To Kolkata After 19 Years

Kolkata: Nearly two decades after she was forced to leave Kolkata, exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen returned to the City of Joy on Friday. She was forced to leave following protests over her controversial memoir, Dwikhondito. "I am really liking it here," said Nasreen as she landed at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in West Bengal's capital city.

Background to the exile

The then ruling dispensation led by the CPM had banned her book in 2003 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The 63-year-old now lives in Delhi on a long-term residence permit.

Visit itinerary

Nasreen will be attending a programme protesting fundamentalism at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday. The event is also likely to be attended by Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and renowned author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.

Reportedly, she will recite some of her poems and take part in a discussion after attending a civic reception in her honour.

Political reactions

"The organisation Human Rights Beyond Frontier has invited her. They have invited her here for a meeting. But before that, she could not come because of the government's appeasement politics," BJP MLA Saurav Sikdar said while speaking to IANS.

Hope for future visits

Nasreen also expressed hope that her return would not be a one-off event and that she would be able to visit Kolkata freely in the future.