The Hindu : Front Page : Taslima roughed up by MIM MLAs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 10, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Taslima roughed up by MIM MLAs

Special Correspondent

The legislators were arrested and released on bail
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister condemns attack

PHOTO: AFP

ASSAULT ON FREEDOM: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen activists trying to attack Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasrin at the Hyderabad Press Club on Thursday. —

HYDERABAD: Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin was roughed up by legislators of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and a mob led by them in the Press Club of Hyderabad on Thursday.

The feminist writer and author of the book “Lajja”, who was here on a low-profile visit to launch the translated versions of her works at a press conference, had just completed her engagement when about 20 MIM activists led by MLAs Syed Ahmed Pasha Qadri, Afsar Khan and Moazzam Khan barged into the conference hall.

She looked in disbelief as they mouthed abuses against her. The MLAs then began hurling books, bouquets, chairs and whatever they could lay their hands on at her. A few persons in the mob almost got hold of her but Narisetti Innaiah, rationalist and chairman, Center for Inquiry, who was her host, shielded her. He was injured on his face . A couple of journalists who went to their rescue also sustained injuries in the scuffle.

Badly shaken

Ms. Taslima escaped unhurt though she was badly shaken by the sudden attack that came minutes after she made a categorical statement that she would continue to fight against evil “till my death”.

She said that she was not afraid of the fatwas issued by fundamentalist and extremist elements.

She had earlier released the Telugu version of her work “Shodh” translated by V. Komala, and Jung Chang’s bestseller “Wild Swans”, a book proscribed in China.

Repeated requests by the journalists and the organisers to the MIM men to leave the place went unheeded.

The latter broke the glass door of the conference hall where Ms. Nasrin was taking shelter, protected by the organisers and some press photographers.

The protesters raised slogans against Ms. Nasrin. The police, who intervened at this stage, arrested the MLAs and their supporters. Ms. Nasrin was then escorted out of the hall by police and moved to an undisclosed location in the city.

She left for Kolkata by flight ahead of schedule with policemen escorting her to the airport.

The MIM MLAs were charged with rioting, trespass, criminal intimidation, causing hurt and unlawful assembly and produced before a magistrate who released them on bail.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy condemned the attack on Ms. Nasrin and assured a delegation of journalists that stern action would be taken against the guilty.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page