A Memoir, Violent Protests, And Fatwa: What Forced Taslima Nasreen To Leave Kolkata In 2007
A Memoir, Violent Protests, And Fatwa: What Forced Taslima Nasreen To Leave Kolkata In 2007 Published By, Last Updated: July 31, 2026, 13:59 IST Bangladeshi
A Memoir, Violent Protests, And Fatwa: What Forced Taslima Nasreen To Leave Kolkata In 2007 Published By, Last Updated: July 31, 2026, 13:59 IST Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has set foot in West Bengal's Kolkata, marking her first visit to the city since she was forced to leave in November 2007 Taslima Nasreen lands in Kolkata nearly two decades after her exile. (IMAGE: PTI FILE) Nearly two decades after her exile, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has set foot in West Bengal’s Kolkata, marking her first visit to the city since she was forced to leave in November 2007. She is scheduled to attend a literary event at Rabindra Sadan to mark the release of her autobiography. West Bengal Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) firebrand leader Suvendu Adhikari is also expected to attend the event.
It might be noted that Nasreen’s previous appeals to return were repeatedly denied, and her long-awaited return has finally materialised under the newly-formed BJP government in the state. Visuals showed the author landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Upon her arrival, she was extended a warm welcome by officials present at the spot. Before she landed in the city, Nasreen had expressed hope that this visit would reaffirm the importance of freedom of expression and protection of dissenting voices, according to a report by Kolkata-based The Telegraph. “Returning to the city felt like coming back to ‘my own country'", she said. Why Nasreen Was Forced To Leave In 2003, the release of her memoir ‘Dwikhondito’ had led to a huge controversy after it allegedly hurt religious sentiments.
Following the launch, violent protests unfolded in the city, prompting the then-government to ban the book’s circulation in West Bengal. In 2005, the Calcutta High Court overturned the ban, ruling that the book was not intended to outrage religious feelings and that the government’s decision was unjustified. Around that time, radical groups in Kolkata reportedly started mobilising against her and the book. However, protests erupted again in Kolkata in 2007 as extremist groups demanded her expulsion and eventually forced the government to relocate her out of the city for security reasons. Some religious groups even issued a ‘Fatwa’ against her, seeking her deportation. In the aftermath of the massive unrest and turmoil, Nasreen was eventually compelled to leave the country in November 2007.
The BriefWire