Taslima gives in, withdraws parts of her book

The Bangladeshi author says the decision is to prove that she never wanted to hurt the people’s sentiments, reports Arindam Sarkar.

Taslima Nasreen on Friday asked her publisher to delete the controversial parts from her book Dwikhondito, two days after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Parliament that India would give shelter to the Bangladeshi author but she should refrain from hurting the sentiments of the people.

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"I have withdrawn some parts of my book Dwikhondito. Some said parts of the book were hurting the sentiments of the people. I hope after its withdrawal, there would be no more controversies," Taslima told HT on phone from an undisclosed safe house where she is kept by the central government.

"The decision to withdraw these parts from Dwikhondito is to prove that I never wanted to hurt the people’s sentiments. I hope now I will be able to live peacefully in India and Kolkata," she said.

Taslima called up her Kolkata-based publisher People’s Book Society and asked it to delete the controversial three pages that led to tension and violent protests by Muslim groups in the city on November 21.

Dwikhondito (Split in Two) written in 2002 is the third part of Taslima’s seven-part autobiographical series. Bangladesh has banned all her five autobiographical works that have hit the stands.

The Bengal government banned Dwikhondito in 2003. Subsequently, the high court lifted the ban.

On the development, CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta said: "This should facilitate Taslima’s return to Kolkata." Leaders of Muslim outfits in Kolkata, however, reserved their comments on her return. They said the writer should first apologise for “abusing Islam in her writings".