Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19‑year exile
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen landed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on 31 July 2026, ending a 19‑year absence. She had been forced to leave the city in 2007 after violent protests over her memoir *Dwikhandito*, which the West Bengal Left Front government banned in 2003 for allegedly hurting Muslim sentiments.
A civic reception and literary programme have been scheduled for 1 August 2026 at Rabindra Sadan. The event, organised by the civil‑society group Secular Mission, will feature Nasreen reciting poems and discussing fundamentalism. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to attend, as is celebrated author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. The state police have arranged security for the visit.
Nasreen described the return as a “homecoming”, saying she felt “like coming back to my own country”. She expressed both joy and pain at returning to a city she still considers home after nearly two decades of exile.
Entities: Kolkata · Rabindra Sadan · Rabindra Sadhan · Secular Mission · Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay · Suvendu Adhikari · Taslima Nasreen · Taslima Nasrin · West Bengal Government
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] The West Bengal Left Front government banned *Dwikhhandito* in 2003 for allegedly hurting Muslim sentiments. (book_ban)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Nasreen said Kolkata feels like her own country. (quote)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The West Bengal government provided security for Nasreen's visit. (security_arrangements)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Nasreen will attend a public programme at Rabindra Sadhan on 1 August 2026. (event)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is expected to attend the programme. (attendance)
- [● 9 SOURCES] She was forced to leave Kolkata in 2007 after protests over her memoir Dwikhhandito. (forced_exile)
- [● 7 SOURCES] West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to attend the Rabindra Sadan programme on 1 August 2026. (attendance)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Taslima Nasreen arrived in Kolkata on 31 July 2026. (arrival)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The literary programme is organised by the civil‑society group Secular Mission. (organiser)