KOLKATA QUIET, TASLIMA NASREEN FORCED TO LEAVE

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000359

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PGOV AEMR PHUM IN
SUBJECT: KOLKATA QUIET, TASLIMA NASREEN FORCED TO LEAVE

REF: KOLKATA 356


1. (U) Kolkata has remained quiet since rioting on November 21
by Muslim protestors required the Indian Army to be called in
and a curfew imposed until the early morning of November 22.
However, the Army is still deployed in central Kolkata as a
precautionary measure. The November 21 violence started during
a three-hour demonstration called by the All India Minority
Forum (AIMF) to protest the recent Nandigram violence and to
demand cancellation of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's
Indian visa.


2. (U) The day after the violence, Nasreen, who had stirred
controversy in Bangladesh with her critiques of Islam in her
novels and essays, left Kolkata for the city of Jaipur in
Rajasthan. She had been living in exile in India and Kolkata
for nearly 13 years on a valid Indian visa after a fatwa was
issued against her in Bangladesh. Media reported that her
departure was facilitated by GOWB officials and local
businessmen. After staying a night in Jaipur, Nasreen
purportedly traveled to New Delhi.


3. (U) On November 23, Kolkata businesses and schools reopened
in areas that were hit by the protests, as the Indian Army
joined local police in patrolling the streets. The police have
arrested 68 people so far in connection with the violence and W.
Bengal Chief Minister Bhattacharjee has ordered an inquiry into
the incident. AIMF chief and Congress member Idris Ali - the
primary organizer of the protest -- claimed his plans for the
demonstration never included violence. He blamed "outside"
elements for the violence, and said he himself was baffled by
the turn of events. (Note: Ali is not a popular leader and his
meetings usually show poor attendance. End Note.) Jamiat
Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) leader Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who also said
he had nothing to do with the Muslim mob attack, condemned Ali
for his lack of control over participants in the protest.
Observers said that a range of local Muslims cutting across
political affiliations, including supporters of Trinamul
Congress General Secretary Sultan Ahmed, Milli Ittehad Parishad
(a conglomerate of 12 Muslim organizations) and the JUH-backed
People's Democratic Conference of India participated in the
violence. Some leaders, including Ali, were arrested and later
released.


4. (U) Comment: People in Kolkata were clearly shaken by the
sudden violence that shut down parts of the city, and the
Communists, who pride themselves on their secular politics, were
no exception. The Communists decided that maintaining law and
order took precedence over defending Nasreen and the principle
freedom of speech. In 2003, the Left Front had banned her book
"Dwikhandita" (Split in Two) over concerns that it could cause
communal tension. In August 2007, Nasreen came under attack by
Muslims legislators from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party
during a book lecture in Hyderabad, and was saved only when
lecture organizers stepped in front of her to protect her from
the attackers. That she found initial shelter in Rajasthan, a
state governed by the BJP, shows the political irony --
temporarily sheltering Nasreen gives the BJP some moral high
ground to use against the Communists and the Muslim community.

JARDINE