Exiled Bangladeshi author and activist Taslima Nasreen arrived in Kolkata on Friday, marking her first return to the city in nearly two decades since she was forced to leave following violent protests.
The 63-year-old writer, who now resides in Delhi under a long-term residence permit, expressed her delight upon landing at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, stating, “I am really liking it here.”
Nasreen is scheduled to attend a programme at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday, 1 August, dedicated to protesting fundamentalism.
The event is expected to feature a civic reception in her honour, followed by a poetry recitation and a discussion. Notable attendees likely to join the author include West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and the distinguished novelist Shirshendy Mukhopadhyay.
The author’s history with the city is marked by controversy and a forced departure in 2007.
Her memoir, Dwikhondito, was banned in 2003 by the then CPM-led government on the grounds of allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Reflecting on her return, Nasreen described the visit as a “personal homecoming,” saying she never left the city by choice.
“I never left Kolkata willingly; the then West Bengal government forced me to leave the state,” she told PTI.
“Yet I never stopped hoping that one day I would return. Year after year passed, governments changed, and still the door remained closed,” she added.
Her arrival has triggered a fresh political row in the state. Trinamool MLA Akhruzzaman criticised the visit, suggesting that Nasreen’s history of speaking against Muslims is the reason the current “double-engine government” has welcomed her.
In contrast, State Minister Agnimitra Paul strongly defended the visit, calling it a “matter of pride and joy.”
Paul accused previous administrations of denying the author security and using secularism as a political tool. “Under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s government, Taslima Nasreen is coming on August 1; this is a matter of pride and joy for us,” the minister said.
