Intellectuals demand telecast of Taslima serial

Rights activist Sujato Bhadra said the channel was forced to stop the telecast after warning from the Kolkata Police that it would lead to communal tension.  

“They were pressurised and forced to stop its telecast.  This is an assault on the freedom of speech and expression,” he told PTI adding that they were thinking of taking legal steps to ensure telecast of the serial.  

Nasreen, who drew the ire of fundamentalists for her controversial books like ‘Lajja' and ‘Dwikhandito', has said this was another attempt to gag her and was a violation of her right to speech and expression.

At last year's Kolkata Book Fair, the launch of one of her books was cancelled over protest by Muslim fundamentalists, though all of her books are available freely in the market.