Taslima Nasreen – Exiled Bangladeshi Author Returns to Kolkata After Nearly Nineteen Years

  Taslima Nasreen -Bangladeshi author and human rights activist Taslima Nasreen returned to Kolkata on Friday, marking her first visit to the city in almost 19 years. Her arrival drew attention from supporters, members of the organising group, and media representatives at the airport, where she briefly expressed her happiness at being back.

“I am feeling very good. Thank you all, thank you everyone,” Nasreen told journalists after landing in Kolkata. The visit comes after years of living outside Bangladesh, where she has remained in exile since 1994 following threats linked to her writings.

Invitation Arranged by Secular Mission

Nasreen said earlier that her visit was organised by Secular Mission, an organisation led by Osman Gani Mallik. Mallik welcomed the writer at the airport along with BJP MLA Sourav Sikdar and described the occasion as an emotional moment for those who had supported her return to the city.

According to Mallik, Nasreen was compelled to leave Kolkata in 2007 amid widespread protests surrounding her memoir, Dwikhondito (Split into Two), which was published in 2003. He said many people had continued to advocate for her return and were pleased to see her back in the city with dignity and respect after such a long gap.

Organisers Thank State Authorities

Speaking to reporters, Mallik also acknowledged the security arrangements made for the visit. He expressed gratitude to the West Bengal administration for extending the necessary support to ensure the author’s visit remained peaceful and secure.

He said the organisers had received cooperation from the state authorities, allowing the programme to proceed smoothly while enabling Nasreen to interact openly with the public and the media.

Nasreen Rejects Political Allegations

Before arriving in Kolkata, Nasreen had addressed speculation regarding the circumstances of her visit. In a post shared on X earlier this month, she clarified that no political party had invited her to the city.

She stated that the invitation came solely from Secular Mission and noted that the organisation was headed by Osman Gani Mallik, whom she described as a progressive Muslim. She also dismissed claims that either the Bharatiya Janata Party or the West Bengal government had arranged her return.

Nasreen explained that the state’s role was limited to providing security, something she described as a routine administrative responsibility that every government is expected to fulfil whenever a public figure visits its jurisdiction.

Criticism of Sections of the Left

The author also criticised some Left leaders, alleging that individuals who had once opposed her presence in West Bengal were now attempting to portray her visit as politically motivated.

She questioned why her arrival was being linked to organisations such as the BJP, RSS or Hindutva when, according to her, those making the allegations had previously been responsible for forcing her departure from the state.

Nasreen also referred to earlier visits to Kerala, saying she had accepted invitations during CPI(M)-led governments and had been welcomed with high-level security arrangements. She questioned why those visits had not attracted similar political criticism.

Questions Raised Over Renewed Controversy

Reflecting on the debate surrounding her return, Nasreen said she was unable to understand why a brief two-day visit had generated what she described as unnecessary misinformation and political controversy.

She pointed out that she was returning to Kolkata after exactly 18 years, eight months and 10 days, making the visit personally significant. The author also repeated her long-standing criticism of successive governments in West Bengal, alleging that the Left Front administration had forced her to leave the city, while a later Trinamool Congress government prevented her from entering the state, halted the broadcast of a television serial based on her work and blocked the release of one of her books.

Despite the political debate surrounding her visit, Nasreen’s return represents a notable moment in her long and complex relationship with Kolkata, a city where she once lived and wrote before leaving under difficult circumstances nearly two decades ago.