Taslima: Shift continues from Kolkata to Jaipur, now to Delhi

Nov 23:   Controversial writer Taslima Nasrin was moved out from Jaipur to Delhi, today after an Islamic organisation’s threat to hold demonstration in the city, if she continues in the city for a long time.

The journey, to stay with calm and protected life, for the prominent Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is still continued. This time she had to leave the Pink city, for Delhi, amid threats by a Muslim organisation in Jaipur to hold demonstration in the city if she was allowed to stay for a long time; barely a day after her departure from Kolkata.

Taslima Nasrin was yesterday exiled from Kolkata and brought to Jaipur following the shutdown called in Kolkata to demand cancellation of her visa.

She was brought to Jaipur after a Muslim outfit protested her stay in Kolkata and demanding her deportation and cancellation of visa - turned violent.

In the meantime, the intelligentsia in West Bengal has expressed their resentment at Taslima Nasrin being taken out of Kolkata following the violence in the city.

Magsaysay Award winning writer, Mahasweta Devi, Writer Sunil Gangopadhay and Academy Award winner, Poet Shankha Ghosh have condemned the move and said that an unjustified demand has been acceded to at the pressure of fundamentalists, which is not a good sign for the future of a democratic country.

Celebrated actor Soumitra Chatterjee said that Taslima had a valid visa for her stay and should have been allowed to stay in West Bengal. All India Minority Forum President Idris Ali, who had called Wednesday's shutdown, which spiraled into violence, however, welcomed the development. The shutdown was called to demand cancellation of the visa Taslima Nasrin and to protest the Nandigram violence.

Taslima’s visa which was renewed by the government of India in August expires on Feb 17, 2008.