CALCUTTA: The West Bengal government has decided to steer clear of
rebel author Taslima Nasreen’s visit to Calcutta from France starting
Friday and will only provide ``security arrangements and that too at
the behest of the Union government’'.
While the government may have decided to ignore the visit, journalist
Nikhil Sarkar, a friend of Taslima said, Her visit was a personal one and she would meet only friends and relatives in the city''. Her visa
to India has been obtained after major tussles with the Indian
government and is single-entry allowing her to stay for a month.
However, she would be here for a week and would thereafter return to Paris,‘’ said a close friend.
Calcutta-based authors and friends are excited but cautious about her
visit. ``She will not chair any functions. The idea is to visit places,
meet people, eat out and maybe attend a poetry-reading session,‘’ said
information officer, West Bengal government, Soumitra Mitra, who gave
the information privately and not officially.
Incidentally, the author of Aamar Meyebala and Lajja has not visited
India since 1992. Ms Nasreen had sought asylum in India before she was
granted refuge in Sweden.
Other Indian writer Salman Rushdie is also planning to visit his home country India.
Taslima Nasreen, Bangladeshi writer of the controversial 'Lajja' (Shame) and 'Amar Meyebela' (My Girlhood Years) who is under a death threat from Muslim fundamentalists in her country for "blaspheming Islam," is contemplating seeking political asylum in India, but New Delhi is unlikely to grant it for fear of straining relations with Dhaka.
Nasreen, who is on a week-long trip to West Bengal, expressed her desire to stay in India, but said she had not yet made a formal asylum request. "I am thinking of seeking political asylum. I am happy that I have been given a visa to come to India after so long. West Bengal is the next place after Bangladesh where I would like to stay," Nasreen said. The Bangladeshi government had not banned her entry into Bangladesh, but her return was unlikely, she said. However, reports here quoted Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja as saying, "We have not yet received any such request from Taslima Nasreen. As and when we do, a decision would be taken on it. India has very cordial relations with Dhaka and we look to improving it in future. Obviously, no steps would be taken to sour the relations."