West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday assured exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen of complete security whenever she visits the state, as the writer made her first public appearance in Kolkata after nearly 19 years.
Addressing a literary event on anti-fundamentalism at Rabindra Sadan, Adhikari said Nasreen was welcome to visit West Bengal whenever she wished and that the state government would ensure her safety.
'You will receive complete security'
Speaking at the event, Adhikari said it was his responsibility as Chief Minister and the minister in charge of the police department to ensure Nasreen's security. "It is my duty as the chief minister and also as the minister in charge of the police department to provide you with security whenever you visit West Bengal," he said. "Not just once, whenever you wish, come to West Bengal as many times as you want. You will receive complete security."
The Chief Minister said Bengal had entered a new phase where democracy, constitutional values and freedom of expression would be protected. "This is a West Bengal free from shackles and fear. Every pillar of the Constitution is protected here. Everyone has the right to come here, and everyone has the freedom to express themselves," he said. Without naming any political party, Adhikari added that the "era of threats, intimidation and attempts to silence people" was over.
Taslima Nasreen says return ends a long exile
Nasreen, who returned to Kolkata for the first time since 2007, described the visit as deeply emotional. "After coming back to Kolkata, I feel like coming back to a part of life which I left behind here," she said. The 63-year-old author said she had not come to promote or oppose any political party but to continue speaking for women's rights and freedom of expression. "I am not here to speak for any political party, or against any party. I am here to speak in favour of women's rights," she said.
Recalling her departure from Kolkata in 2007, Nasreen said, "Today, the opening of this door proves that injustice can be long, but it cannot be permanent. History remembers who closed the doors and who opened them."
Why Taslima Nasreen left Kolkata
Nasreen's appearance marked her first public event in Kolkata since November 2007, when she left the city following violent protests over excerpts from her autobiographical work 'Dwikhandito' (Split: A Life). The then Left Front government banned the book and, citing law and order concerns, shifted her out of Kolkata before she eventually left the state.
The Bangladesh-born writer has been living in exile since 1994, after receiving threats from Islamist groups over her writings and criticism of religious fundamentalism.
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What Taslima Nasrin's return to Kolkata means and why has it fired up a political row in Bengal?
