Bring Taslima Nasreen back in India: Amlan Dutta
Kolkata | Friday, Nov 20 2009 IST
 

Renowned academician and intellectual personality Amlan Dutta today felt that both the Centre and State government needed to bring controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen back into the country.

''Ms Nasreen was driven out from the city on November 22, 2007 by the state government in the wake of mob violences by the religious fundamentalists. Ultimately she was forced out of country. Two years have passed and a lot of changes are taking place in West Bengal,'' he said while addressing a press conference, jointly organised by the Shatak Ekush (Literary Journal), Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh (CAAMB) and Women Against Oppression (WAO) at the Kolkata Press Club here.

''The ruling party is practically non-existent in the public, Still, no one is demanding her return excepting a handful of brave intellectuals and small groups. Human rights activists, fellow writers and poets are silent. Although Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee are not against the writer, everyone seems to be afraid of disturbing the Islamic fundamentalists,'' he stated.

This was not only the issue of Taslima Nasreen but also the future of secular ideas in West Bengal, Mr Dutta added.

''The fate of Ms Nasreen is now entwined with the future of Bengal. Can the state remain democratic and secular after kicking out the writer ? Are we going to be another Bangladesh. We want that Ms Nasreen should come and stay peacefully in our country. We will appeal to the Bangladesh Prime Minister for withdrawing the expulsion order for Ms Nasreen from that country when she comes in India to receive this year's Indira Gandhi Peace Prize here,'' he averred.

Noted poets - Sarat Kumar Mukhopadhyay and Kalikrishna Guha, painter Rabin Mondal were among others who spoke on the occasion.

-- (UNI) -- 20CA57.xml

 

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