Space for secular thought in Bangladesh has shrunk: Exiled writer Taslima Nasreen ahead of Kolkata return

Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen said space for secular thought in Bangladesh has 'shrunk dangerously' ahead of her first public appearance in Kolkata in nearly 19 years.

Nasreen will attend a programme in Kolkata on August 1, expected to be attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.

Her last public appearance in Kolkata was in 2007, when protests over her memoir 'Dwikhandito' forced her to leave; the book was banned by the West Bengal government in 2003.

Nasreen described her return as a 'victory for freedom of expression' and said fundamentalists failed to silence her voice despite threats and fatwas.

She thanked the organisers and the West Bengal government for facilitating the visit and providing security.