First Rushdie, now Taslima: Book launch delayed at Kolkata fair

Taslima Nasreen’s book launch at that Kolkata Book Fair was stalled on Wednesday after miscreants issued threats to disrupt the event scheduled to be held at the fair.

The book titled Nirbasan (Exile) is the latest instalment in the series of her memoirs. Nirbasan traced Nasreen’s plight following her expulsion from Kolkata, which she calls her adopted home, in 2007. The West Bengal government had whisked her away to an undisclosed location following protests which escalated into riot-like situation in November 2007.

While the official launch autobiography was cancelled at the publishers went ahead and released the book at the Kolkata Book Fair despite the protests.

The author tweeted saying, “The PBS publisher with friends have released my book under the open sky at Kolkata Book Fair. Book release in the AC hall was banned.”

Earlier the author had tweeted, “Kolkata Book Fair committee canceled my book release program today at Kolkata Book Fair. Why?Some religious fanatics don’t want it to happen.”

“Kolkata, a city of progressive! A book release even w/o my presence not possible! All political parties, all orgs afraid of fanatics! But how long” (sic), she had tweeted earlier.

“Kolkata police asked Kolkata Book Fair committee to cancel my book release program. Book Fair’s AC hall was booked for the program”, she added.

The author had outraged Muslims in Bangladesh when she wrote against Islamic philosophy in her novel Lajja in 1993. She has been living in exile since then.

With agency inputs