Thursday, April 3, 2008

Indian govt forced Bangladesh writer to leave India: publisher

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's publisher and supporters accused the Indian government on Thursday of forcing the writer out of the country because of fears of a Muslim backlash.

Nasreen left mainly Hindu but officially secular India on Wednesday after accusing the Indian government of forcing her to quit the country.

"The government is no better than religious fundamentalists," she said.

She said the government refused her timely medical treatment and called the safe house where she was kept under federal protection a "chamber of death."

"It beggars the description meted out to her -- it was inhuman, she developed severe hypertension and as a result severe heart and eye problems," said Shivani Mukherji, publisher of Nasreen's books in India.

"It's shameful for a so-called secular country to behave this way -- they should have stood up to the people who opposed her," she said.

The Congress-led government has made no comment on the departure of Nasreen who was kept under federal protection in New Delhi after being hounded from Kolkata, capital of Marxist-ruled West Bengal, in November by riots and death threats from Islamic radicals who called her writings blasphemous.

~ more... ~

No comments:

Post a Comment