Kolkata, August 10
Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who escaped an attack on her life by workers of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen at Hyderabad Press Club yesterday, says she would not bow to the threat. A shaken Nasreen arrived in Kolkata late Thursday from Hyderabad where she had gone to release a Telugu translation of her novel “Shodh”.

“For half-an-hour, death stared at me from close as I locked myself in a room and those men tried to break in and kill me,” the writer said.

Cocooned in her Rawdon Street apartment here, Nasreen narrated the harrowing experience: “I was attacked earlier too but it was never like yesterday. There was no police for help because the organisers had not foreseen anything of this kind. If I have returned alive to Kolkata it is because of mediapersons who fought those men for half-an-hour and got injured to save me,” Nasreen said. The writer has been attacked several times in Bangladesh, Canada and the Middle East. She said yesterday’s experience had taught her that fanatics and fundamentalists are same everywhere.

“I was wondering how they would kill me. Would it be with a knife or a gun! Or would they simply beat me to death. They had encircled us. After I escaped from a back door and took shelter in a room, they even broke down one of the doors. I thought I would be dead,” said the 45-year-old writer. “I have never come face to face with death like this.”

However, she added: “I will not cow down to any threat and as long as I live, I will continue to write from my experiences, faith, belief and thinking - regardless of the fact that the writings hurt fundamentalists belonging to the Muslim community or any other religion.”

She said though invitations had been extended to her from friends and well-wishers from all over the world, she felt safe and secure in India, and if permitted, would continue to live in Kolkata for the rest of her life. The controversial novelist has been staying here for the past one year on a tourist visa, which was extended for another six months in June.

“I am happy that the people who attacked were actually a minority while there are so many people who supported me. The photographers could have just clicked as they killed me but they chose to save me.”