Taslima Nasreen has been forced to leave India. This might have brought a sense of relief, and even a degree of triumphalism, to the West Bengal and the Central governments. This is also a cause of deep frustration for all those like us who have been trying to defend her human rights and secure for her justice and a treatment in tradition with Indian culture and civilisation. What is most disconcerting is that her departure in the circumstances in which it took place, is a severe blow to the fundamental principles of secularism, democracy and freedom of expression on which the Indian state is founded. It has also tarnished India’s image abroad. The most serious consequence of this episode is the license it provides to religious extremism to pursue with impunity its policy of intimidation, disruption and violence. It is tragic that those who threatened and attacked her have been allowed to move around freely, while Taslima, the victim, was incarcerated and driven to desperation where she was left with no option but to quit the country.

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Signed by I.K. Gujral, Mahasweta Devi, Suvaprasanna, Sukumari Bhattacharya, Aparna Sen, Tarun Sanyal, Bibhas Chakravartty, D. Bandyopadhyay, Ashis Nandy, Kuldip Nayar, Muchkund Dubey, Sailendra Nath Ghosh, Sumit Sarkar, Tanika Sarkar, Sunanda Sanyal, Sujato Bhadra, Giasuddin, Gholam Yajdani, Saifuddin Choudhury, Meher Engineer, Rabi Ranjan Chattopadhyay, Sailen Basu, Sumita Basu, Arun Kumar, Neerja Chowdhury, Amitav Ghosh, Rana Pratap Roy, Radheshyam Brahmachari, Dilip Chakraborty, Sumit Chakravartty.

New Delhi

Here is a recent report on the Bangladeshi writer’s plans.

Statement-on-Taslima-Nasreen-Departure-from-India