Kolkata, August 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday assured Bangladeshi writer and poet Taslima Nasrin of complete safety and security whenever she visits Kolkata, saying the state now guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
Addressing a cultural programme at Rabindra Sadan in Central Kolkata, where Nasrin was the keynote speaker, Adhikari invited her to visit the city without fear and said she could express her views freely.
“I am responsible for providing you with security in a secure West Bengal. You can come and speak as often as you want and whenever you want,” Adhikari said, adding that the present state government was committed to protecting democracy, constitutional rights and freedom of expression.
Nasrin returned to Kolkata on Friday, nearly 19 years after she left the city following protests and violence in 2007 over her book Dwikhandito (The Bifurcated).
The cultural programme was organised by several groups, including Secular Mission, and was attended by the Chief Minister. During the event, Adhikari requested Nasrin to visit Kolkata without apprehension and assured her of protection.
In 2007, the publication of Dwikhandito triggered protests in parts of Kolkata, leading to heightened tensions and deployment of security forces. The then Left Front government banned circulation of the book in West Bengal and asked Nasrin to leave the city.
The controversy had drawn criticism from sections of the literary community, with allegations that the government had given in to pressure from extremist groups. Nasrin’s return to Kolkata remained a sensitive issue in subsequent years.
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