‘Kolkata homecoming is return to my life’s lost chapter,’ says Taslima Nasrin; Suvendu pledges security

Addressing the gathering, Nasrin said, “I have not just returned to a city, but to a lost chapter in my life.,, For 19 years I wanted to say this to Kolkata. I never did anything wrong but was punished and driven away from the city. I just want to say: Kolkata, I am back. History will remember who closed the door and will also remember who opened it.”

“The Chief Minister took time out of his busy schedule to come here. I am grateful,” said Nasrin. “But it is not a deal for obedience. I am not here for any political party. This day is proof that fear cannot prevail forever.”

Speaking about her exile from Bangladesh, Nasrin said, “The Bangladesh government drove me out on August 8, 1994. Many governments have changed since then, but I remained in exile for 32 years. I carried my country in my heart. Europe gave me citizenship and security for which I am grateful.”

Referring to her return to Kolkata in 2004, from where she was forced to leave in November 2007 amid tensions and pressure from the then Left Front government over the second volume of her autobiography, Dwikhondito (Split: A Life), Nasrin said: “After a decade in exile, I got a home in Kolkata. Calcutta High Court lifted the ban on my book Dwikhandito. Yet, I was again exiled from Kolkata. I did not do anything wrong. Bangladesh exiled me for 32 years. Did I murder someone or burnt someone’s house? I just wrote for equality. I spoke against fundamentalism.”

She also said, “My country is not just a map but people’s love. What is happening in Bangladesh is horrific. Free thinkers are being murdered or jailed. I dream one day the situation will change. Religion and state will be separated. Law and religion will be separated.”

During her speech, a brief commotion erupted at the auditorium after she invited Bengali poet Joy Goswami to join her on stage, prompting protest from a section of the audience that briefly disrupted her address. The organisers brought a microphone to Goswami, who was sitting among the audience, but following the protest, he refrained from speaking anything.

Adhikari’s pitch

In his speech, CM Adhikari said, “Nasrin’s return shows that not only the face of the government has changed in West Bengal but there has also been a transformation of the system. Everyone has a right to come to Bengal. Everyone has a right to speech in Bengal.”

“I welcome Taslima Nasrin to Bengal. Whenever she wishes she can come to the state. The government will make arrangements for her security,” he said.

“She came to Kolkata yesterday and today she participated in this programme. It symbolises that democracy and free speech are restored here,” claimed Adhikari amid cheers of Jai Shri Ram from the audience.

Speaking on the occasion, Swapan Dasgupta said, “I am waiting for years to tell Taslima two words: welcome back. When Taslima had a problem with visa in 2006-07, I was then with the Opposition BJP. But I got support from various quarters for her.” He said, “The circumstances in which she was forced to leave Kolkata should never return,” adding that “I will not say whatever she writes, I accept. But I can’t think that someone could not speak her mind.”

Dasgupta also said, “She (Nasrin) was my neighbour in Delhi. She writes in Bengali. For writing in Bengali she needs to be in Kolkata. Taslima, you are back in our midst and you will stay in our midst. CM gave a guarantee that she can come whenever she wants.”

Agnimitra Paul read out a poem she wrote on Nasrin.

Life in exile

Nasrin’s writings primarily focus on women’s rights, gender equality, patriarchal norms, and domestic and structural violence that women face.

She has faced opposition from conservative groups since she published her best-known novel Lajja (Shame) in 1993. The book was about the persecution of a fictitious Hindu family in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. She left Bangladesh the following year following death threats and protests and lived across Europe and North America. During this period, Sweden granted her citizenship. She subsequently found refuge in Kolkata, the city closest to her home culturally.

In 2004, she moved to Kolkata after receiving a temporary residence permit.

On November 21, 2007, tensions over Dwikhondito spilled onto the streets as demonstrations organised by the All India Minority Forum led to road blockades and incidents of arson in parts of Kolkata. To bring the situation under control, the then Buddhadeb Bhattacharya-led Left government

called in the Army to help restore order. Facing political pressure and worried about the situation spiralling out of control if Nasrin remained in the city, the government pressured her to leave the city.

Nasrin moved to New Delhi and in March 2008, she left the country, staying away for at least two years. She later however continued to live in India and got a residence permit. In 2024, she publicly thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah after her request to extend the permit was granted hours after she put up a post on social media expressing concern about her legal status in India.

While the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) dispensation that succeeded the Left Front government avoided the issue despite periodic demands from members of civil society, the BJP has sought to project her as a symbol of resistance against religious orthodoxy. The BJP has claimed that Nasrin’s ordeal was the result of the “appeasement politics” of the Left and the TMC.