Kolkata:
Bangladeshi writer and activist Taslima Nasreen, who returned to Kolkata after nearly two decades, has called for the return of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina to her country to lead her party and fight elections.
She also called for the removal of the ban on Hasina’s party, Bangladesh Awami League, following massive protests in July 2024 that led to her government’s collapse and eventual exile.
“The ouster of Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina in the way it happened was wrong. It was anti-democratic. Banning the party was absolutely undemocratic. They should be allowed to participate in elections. I want Hasina to return to Bangladesh,” she told reporters in Kolkata today.
She strongly criticised radical Islamists who use madrasas to create chaos.
“I feel there is no need for any madrasa. It only produces jihadis. All madrasas should be converted into secular schools,” she said.
She thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for inviting her back to Kolkata after 19 years.
“I see nothing political in inviting me to Kolkata after 19 years. The newly elected government has assured security in Bengal during my stay. I would like to thank the chief minister for that,” she said.
Nasreen said she felt bad when Bengali poet Joy Goswami faced protests from a section of the audience and interrupted her address yesterday. The incident happened at a cultural programme organised to mark her return to the city.
The unexpected disruption left Nasreen standing silently at the microphone for a few moments as the auditorium reverberated with slogans and loud voices.
“I felt bad. It was not an insult just to Joy, be to me too. There might be animosity but everyone has a right to speak. Were there people who didn’t want Joy Goswami to speak? I felt bad but I hope it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
On the arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, she said he paid the price for helping Hindus who were in trouble. “Many like us are speaking up for Chinmoy. Free thinkers are continuously being targeted. Many of us had no choice but to leave the country.”
In November 2025, a domestic war crimes court in Bangladesh sentenced Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the protest crackdown in 2024. Hasina’s legal team contested those proceedings as politically motivated.
