Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 2 (ANI): CPIM senior leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya on Sunday said Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen was not 'forcefully thrown out' of Kolkata in 2007, and that her exit was arranged for her safety amid threats from fundamentalist forces.

Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya said, 'People from different parts of the world have come and got really assimilated into Indian culture and the Indian people, but there is no place for any fundamentalism, during the Left Front regime, because of threats by the fundamentalist forces, who had the support of RSS and TMC, we made a very safe passage for Taslima to go out of the country and live peacefully. We made all arrangements to keep her life protected and give her the necessary security. Her life could have been terminated by the fundamentalists then. She is welcome; the BJP government will definitely patronise her and nourish her, as long as she doesn't speak of anything against Hindu fundamentalists.'

Bhattacharya further clarified that Nasreen was not 'forcefully thrown out'.

'She was not forcefully thrown out. She was a foreign national, and the state government didn't have any authority to forcefully push out a foreign national. It was for her safety,' he added.

Bangladeshi writer and activist Taslima Nasreen has returned to Kolkata after nearly two decades, marking her first public visit to the city since she was forced to leave in 2007 amid intense protests over her memoirs.

Speaking at a felicitation event, Nasreen emphasised that safeguarding a writer is synonymous with protecting freedom of speech and expression.

She expressed heartfelt thanks to the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for providing robust security and personally welcoming her back, noting, 'For this one line, I have waited for many years.'

Nasreen clarified that her return is entirely non-political, stating she is back purely to advocate for women's freedom rather than to support any political party.

Recalling her long association with West Bengal, Nasreen said she had been writing for publications in the state since 1978 and had regularly visited Kolkata from the 1980s. (ANI)