Exiled Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen returned to Kolkata on Friday, July 31, 2026, nearly two decades after she was forced to leave the city following violent protests over her writings. Her arrival marks her first public visit to the city since 2007.

Nasreen arrived at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport from New Delhi, where she was welcomed by supporters. She expressed her happiness at returning, stating she felt very good to be back. The writer is scheduled to participate in a public cultural program at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday, August 1, which is expected to include poetry recitation and a discussion opposing fundamentalism.

The author was forced to leave Kolkata in November 2007 after protests, primarily by Islamist groups, erupted demanding a ban on her autobiographical Bengali memoir "Dwikhandito" (Split in Two). The book, published in 2003, had been banned by the West Bengal government for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The unrest prompted state authorities to relocate her under tight security, first to Delhi and eventually abroad.

Nasreen has lived in exile since 1994, when she fled Bangladesh after facing death threats and legal action over...