Archive · 31 Jul 2026
Nasreen Returns to Kolkata After 19 Years
Taslima Nasreen is a writer from Bangladesh who had to leave Kolkata in 2007 because people were upset about her books.
She has lived abroad for almost 20 years.
In July 2026 she came back to Kolkata, the city she loves, and said she feels very good to be back.
She will speak at a big event that talks about not letting religion control what people can say.
The event is important because the new government in West Bengal, led by the BJP, wants to show that it supports free speech.
Some people say the BJP is making her return to prove a point, but Nasreen says she was invited by a group called Secular Mission and the government only gave her security.
The whole thing shows how politics and writing can be connected.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years, marking her first visit since 2007.
Her arrival precedes an anti‑fundamentalism literary programme at Rabindra Sadan, attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.
The event has political resonance, with the BJP framing her return as a correction of past governments’ failure to defend free speech.
Nasreen said she feels “returning to my own country” and that protection of writers’ freedom should not depend on government ideology or religious approval.
She rejected claims that the BJP arranged her visit, stating she was invited by the Secular Mission and that the state only provided security.
- Who
- Taslima Nasreen, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, BJP, Secular Mission
- What
- Return of Taslima Nasreen to Kolkata and her participation in an anti‑fundamentalism literary programme
- When
- July 31, 2026 (arrival) and August 1, 2026 (programme)
- Where
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, West Bengal, India; Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata
- Why
- To mark her homecoming, celebrate free speech, and the BJP’s political narrative of correcting past failures
- Author
- Taslima Nasreen
- Event
- Anti‑fundamentalism literary programme
- Date of return
- July 31, 2026
- Venue of programme
- Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata
- Key attendees
- Suvendu Adhikari, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
- Political context
- BJP government in West Bengal
- Previous ban
- Dwikhandito banned in 2003
- Reason for exile
- Violent protests in 2007
Sources
Exiled Bangladeshi Writer Taslima Nasrin Returns To Kolkata After 19 Years
Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years
Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin returns to Kolkata nearly two decades after she was forced to move out: 'Feeling very good to be back'
Who is Taslima Nasreen? Why is the Bangladeshi author’s return to Kolkata after 19 years relevant in Bengal politics?
Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years, says 'I am feeling very good to be back'
Taslima Nasreen Lands in Kolkata After 19 Years
'I am feeling very good to be back.’: Taslima Nasreen makes emotional Kolkata return after 19 years
Taslima Nasrin returns to Kolkata nearly 19 years after being forced to leave
Bangladesh author-in-exile Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years
Feels Like I'm Back To My Country: Taslima Nasreen To NDTV On Kolkata Return
Taslima Nasreen Returns To Kolkata 19 Years After She Was Forced To Leave
