Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Saturday said her return to Kolkata after nearly 19 years proved that "injustice can be long, but not permanent", as she voiced concern over the rise of religious fundamentalism in Bangladesh and expressed hope that one day women, minorities and writers would be able to live without fear.
Speaking at a felicitation ceremony at Rabindra Sadan, Nasreen said returning to Kolkata felt like coming back to "a part of life" she had left behind. She said Europe had given her citizenship and a place to live, but regretted that she could not find "a small space" to stay in either Bangladesh or Bengal.
"My return to Kolkata after 19 years proves that injustice can be long, but not permanent," she said. "I dream of a day when no writer has to live in exile from her own country."
The writer said she was not at the event to speak for or against any political party but to advocate women's rights. Recalling her long-standing opposition to religious extremism, she said she had spoken against Islamic fundamentalism because she had witnessed it closely since childhood. She also expressed hope that women and minorities in Bangladesh would one day be able to live without fear, alleging that fundamentalism was on the rise and freedom of expression was increasingly under strain.
Nasreen said no court had ever found her guilty of any offence, but she had nevertheless paid the price because of fundamentalists.
Addressing the event, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari assured Nasreen of full security whenever she visited the state, saying it was his government's responsibility to ensure her safety.
"It is my duty as the chief minister of the state to provide you with security whenever you visit," Adhikari said, inviting the author to visit West Bengal as often as she wished.
"Whenever you want, you can come here as many times as you want," he said.
Adhikari also said the new government was committed to protecting freedom of expression in the state.
"Everyone has the right to exercise their freedom of speech in West Bengal under the new government," he said, adding that "the days of threats and intimidation are over", in an apparent reference to the circumstances surrounding Nasreen's departure from Kolkata in 2007 after violent protests over portions of her memoir Dwikhandito (Split: A Life).
Nasreen, who had lived in Kolkata between 2004 and 2007, returned to the city on Friday, marking her first public appearance there in nearly two decades. She had left after the then Left Front government asked her to leave the state following protests over her writings.