Why Has Bengal Govt Banned Author Taslima Nasreen's Play Lajja? Explained

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Award-winning exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of banning her play“Lajja" in the state.

In a long post on Facebook, the author said ,“Mamata Banerjee has banned my play Lajja in West Bengal today. The play was scheduled to be staged at theatre festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly. Advertisements for the festivals have been running for two months, and now, without any prior notice, Mamata Banerjee's Police suddenly informed us that all plays will be staged except Lajja. The Nabapalli Natya Sanstha has staged this play three times in Delhi, with packed audiences each time.”

The author in her post said,“The police claim that staging Lajja will provoke Muslims to riot. Using the same excuse of potential Muslim riots, the state government had previously stopped the airing of my mega serial Dusshahobas, which dealt with strained relationships, on Akash 8 TV channel."

The author questioned , "The incident depicted in Lajja is from Bangladesh. Why would Muslims in West Bengal riot over an incident in Bangladesh? This is beyond my understanding. Citing the fear of riots, I was once forced to leave West Bengal as well.”

She later went and questioned the Mamata Banerjee goverment in the state as to why the voices of artist and wroters are being supressed, adding that why art and literature are censored while those who incite riots are not held accountable.

'How much longer will I alone continue to ask this question? Does no one else feel responsible for standing up against injustice," she added.

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT cell, expressed his concerns on social media following the ban on staging Taslima Nasrin's Lajja. Taking to X, Malviya wrote,“In an unprecedented move, the West Bengal Police has banned the staging of Taslima Nasrin's Lajja at theater festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly, citing concerns over a potential Muslim reprisal.”

“If Mamata Banerjee is unable to manage law and order in Bengal and is so intimidated by Muslim veto that even art, culture and freedom of expression are being stifled, then she should consider stepping down,” he added.

A vocal critic of religious extremism and a champion for women's rights, Nasreen has been in exile since 1994 due to threats from Islamist fundamentalists in Bangladesh over her provocative writings.

Her famous works includes her novel Lajja (1993) and her autobiography Amar Meyebela (1998), which speaks on communalism and highlight gender inequality. Both these books have been banned in Bangladesh.

Since escaping the country, Nasreen has been living in exile for 30 years. She has lived in several countries, including Sweden, Germany, France, and the US.

After her exile from Bangladesh in 1994, Nasreen spent the first 10 years in Sweden, Germany, France and the US. She returned to Kolkata in 2004, where she lived until 2007.

When she was forced to leave West Bengal in November 2007, she moved to Delhi and lived under house arrest for three months. She left India for the US in 2008 but later returned to Delhi. Earlier in October, the Indian government had extended the residence permit of Nasreen after the controversial writer's heartfelt public appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah to allow her to continue living in the country, which has been her second home for the last 20 year.

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