Anti-Taslima Protests turn violent in Calcutta, Army steps in

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Protests turn violent in Kolkata, Army steps in: IBNLive.com > Videos



UNDER SIEGE: West Bengal government has called in the Army to stage a flag march in the trouble-hit areas.

Protests turn violent in Calcutta, Army steps in

CNN-INDIA

Published on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 13:22 ,Updated at 02:49 in Nation section

Calcutta: The Nandigram fire spread to Calcutta on Wednesday when activists of a minority forum enforced road blocks across Calcutta and clashed with the police to lodge their protest against the Nandigram violence.

The protesters, who brought Central Calcutta to a standstill, were also demanding immediate deportation of Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen from India. The author currently lives in Calcutta.

The protesters clashed with the police and threw brickbats at the police and passing vehicles. More than 150 cars were damaged and two buses were set on fire.

Later in the day, the state government called in the Army to stage a flag march. Curfew has been imposed in certain areas and all schools, colleges and markets have been closed in the violence-hit areas. Calcutta's famous Park Circus has been cordoned off by the police.

"The cause of the protest is Nandigram tension and Tasleema Nasreen. Without any provocation, the police started beating the protestors. Both Muslims and non-Muslims are on the streets now," Minority Front President Shehenshah Jehangir told CNN-IBN.

Traffic was brought to a complete halt on arterial city roads. The AJC Bose road has been blocked from Beckbagan Crossing till Moulali Crossing. CIT Road, too, has been blocked from Don Bosco School to Mullick Bazar crossing.

Calcutta's famous Park Street too has been blocked from St Xavier's to Mullick Bazar. The protesters turned violent and fought pitched battles with police. They also damaged some police vans.

They ransacked the CPI(M) office in East Calcutta and beat up a cameraman of Network18 and destroyed his camera and mic.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Jawed Shamim and several other policemen were injured when the police tried to lift the blockade on the arterial AJC Bose Road.

[jinnzaman]

Violence everywhere....

[Blue_Phoenix]

Throwing bricks and demanding deportation are both excellent ways to show the world how wrong Tasleema Nasreen is!

Way to go, holy people. You've validated everything bad she's ever said about Islam.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Blue_Phoenix said

Throwing bricks and demanding deportation are both excellent ways to show the world how wrong Tasleema Nasreen is!

Way to go, holy people. You've validated everything bad she's ever said about Islam.

over the summer in hyderabad, the local powerful muslim party, MIM threw bouqets of flowers at her as a from of protest. they of course later got arrested for it.

of course in terms of politics, many speculate that this was done to shore up the muslim vote, where they were facing stiff competition from other muslim political parties in the heavily muslim dominated old city.

[jinnzaman]

Blue_Phoenix said

Throwing bricks and demanding deportation are both excellent ways to show the world how wrong Tasleema Nasreen is!

Way to go, holy people. You've validated everything bad she's ever said about Islam.

So when American colonists tarred and feathered British tax collectors, that justified oppressive tax collection?

The Muslim world is on the verge of a global intifada; its a tinderbox waiting to explode. These sentiments are being mimicked everywhere within the Ummah. Its a matter of time before they converge and when that happens ... I would not want to be in the way of that popular uprising.

[Variable]

jinnzaman said

So when American colonists tarred and feathered British tax collectors, that justified oppressive tax collection?

This woman doesn't appear to be oppressively taxing a population.

Anyway, they were tax collectors, maybe they just tarred and feathered them because they didn't like them.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Variable said

This woman doesn't appear to be oppressively taxing a population.

Anyway, they were tax collectors, maybe they just tarred and feathered them because they didn't like them.

understandable, however in india, the laws on the books prohibit people from disrespecting or degreding any of the major religions in india. so why is she being given asylum then? she is not an indian, she is a bangladeshi national. she does not hold indian citizenship. and that's the real issue there in India. this past summer i attended a speech by the hyderabadi MP, Assaduddin Owaisi, whose party was involved in throwing bouqes of flowers in her face to protest this. He said in his speech (in urdu of course) :'taslima nasreen ko bahar nikalthe!' (Taslima Nasreen should be deported!, of course i stood up and clapped when i he said this). why should she be allowed to stay in india? she is not an indian citizen, she is not an indian national, she is not even a Person of Indian Origin. Her books alone violate India's own laws. Yet successive Indian govts continue to host this dam woman.

[Variable]

GOTFIVEONIT said

understandable, however in india, the laws on the books prohibit people from disrespecting or degreding any of the major religions in india. so why is she being given asylum then? she is not an indian, she is a bangladeshi national. she does not hold indian citizenship. and that's the real issue there in India. this past summer i attended a speech by the hyderabadi MP, Assaduddin Owaisi, whose party was involved in throwing bouqes of flowers in her face to protest this. He said in his speech (in urdu of course) :'taslima nasreen ko bahar nikalthe!' (Taslima Nasreen should be deported!, of course i stood up and clapped when i he said this). why should she be allowed to stay in india? she is not an indian citizen, she is not an indian national, she is not even a Person of Indian Origin. Her books alone violate India's own laws. Yet successive Indian govts continue to host this dam woman.

Maybe throwing bouquets of flowers in people's faces, and brickbats (whatever that is) at people's cars should be illegal too.

I don't really know what this lady is all about, is she like Irshad Manji or something? Anyway, that sounds like a pretty sketchy law, on account of how difficult it would be to decide whether it constitutes 'degrading or disrespecting' a religion. That's very subjective.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Variable said

Maybe throwing bouquets of flowers in people's faces, and brickbats (whatever that is) at people's cars should be illegal too.

I don't really know what this lady is all about, is she like Irshad Manji or something? Anyway, that sounds like a pretty sketchy law, on account of how difficult it would be to decide whether it constitutes 'degrading or disrespecting' a religion. That's very subjective.

hey the cops arrested the MLA akbaruddin owaisi in connection with the bouqet flower incident in hyd. when asked about it by reporters he said in english 'i have no regrets and feel it is justified'.

now her book was published in bangladeshed, so technically she cant be arrested for it in india, for violating india's own laws. but why should the indian govt continue to host this dam woman? why dont they deport her to another country? its an insult to the 200+ million Muslims that live in India, and plenty of whom support and vote for the current ruling congress party, in which the M.I.M. is in coalition with. when the ruling party doesnt even give a dam about what thier own coalition member has to say, what does that say for the rest of the feelings of Muslims in India?

as far as disrespecting religion, hey the hindu fanatics chased out one of india's most respected painters, Maqbool Fida Hussain, over his paintings depicting the hindu idols engaging in intercourse. apparantely all the statues of this on thousands of mandirs across India doesnt seem to matter all that much. they even took this man to court over it. Now M.F. Hussain is an Indian National, an Indian Citizen, yet he has to flee his own country. Why should the Indian Govt continue to harbor this fugitive from her own country? She should be deported, either back to bangladesh, or she can go live any other country that she wishes.

[Variable]

I don't know what to tell yeh.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

YouTube - Majlis Bachao Tehreek Protest in Kolkata

YouTube - Taslima Nasreen attacked

[GOTFIVEONIT]

SEARCHING SAFETY: The West Bengal govt on Thursday had quietly moved Taslima out of the state.

NOT WELCOME IN BENGAL


Taslima moved out of Jaipur, headed to Delhi

Swati Vashishtha / CNN-IBN

Published on Friday , November 23, 2007 at 09:30

Jaipur: After being moved secretly from Calcutta to Jaipur on Thursday night, controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen is being moved again to an undisclosed location. Reports suggest she's near Rajasthan-Haryana border

Initially, the Rajasthan government had said it was not informed about Taslima being flown to Jaipur from Calcutta.

Reports suggest she is now being shunted out of Jaipur because the Rajasthan government had not been approached for prior permission.

The author was staying in room number 101 of Hotel Shika near the Civil Secretariat under heavy security.

The police had sealed the hotel entrance and thrown a security cordon around it and all vehicular traffic in the area has been diverted.

The hotel management, meanwhile, refused to divulge anything about the author's stay but reports say a man called Faizal Khan had accompanied her to the Pink City.

West Bengal government rattled

The scenes of violence on Calcutta's main streets broadcast across the country on Wednesday rattled the CPM government in West Bengal, the target of the mob's fury being Taslima, whose visa had been extended by the state government for six more months angering Muslim fundamentalists.

Taking no chances with further fuelling the fury and clearly buckling under the pressure from Muslim fundamentalist organisations, the West Bengal government on Thursday had quietly moved Taslima out of the state, sending her across the country to Rajasthan.

“She has reached Rajasthan. She is staying in a hotel under the protection of Rajasthan Police,” IGP (security) in Rajasthan, Meghchand Meena, had said ealier.

So secret was the move that Rajasthan police was not informed till her flight landed in Jaipur.

The West Bengal government obviously was not willing to take any risk after violent Wednesday and there were enough signs that the Thursday calm in Calcutta could be broken on Friday.

“A rebellion has begun and well its on its way,” said Siddiqullah Chowdhury from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.

For now, Taslima will have to get used to living in Rajasthan, in hiding, hoping the protests don't reach her here.

What was so far a concern for the West Bengal government has now become a problem for the Rajasthan Police to deal with.

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BENGAL BURNS: Calcutta witnessed large-scale violence as protestors demanded Taslima Nasreen's visa cancellation.

Calcutta calm; cops wanted Taslima to leave Bengal

CNN-IBN

Published on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 21:06

Calcutta / New Delhi: Central Calcutta on Wednesday literally turned into a battlefield after protests over atrocities in Nandigram and Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's stay in India snowballed into arson and violence.

Armed with lathis (baton's) and swords, hundreds of agitators belonging to a minority (Muslim) forum clashed with policemen even as the Army stepped in to take charge of the burning city. Many vehicles, including ambulances and state-run buses were set ablaze and so were local offices of the ruling party CPI-M (Communist Party of India - Marxist). More than 150 cars were smashed in the city.

Commuters and schoolchildren were the worst hit in the riots as resultant traffic snarls left a large portion of the city choked.

“I got stranded on the roads for over two hours. I have an exam on Thursday but now I am too tired and scared to study,” a worried student said.

Trouble started when a protest programme organised by the All India Minority Forum (AIMF) to block roads over the issue of Nandigram and stay of Taslima Nasreen turned violent.

Thousands of AIMF members had gathered at crossings on major roads in Calcutta, such as Sealdah Railway Station, Park Circus, AJC Bose Road, Ripon Street and CIT Road.

The crowd went out of control when the police tried to intervene and stop the protesters from gathering together. The crowd went on a rampage and started throwing stones and soda water bottles at the policemen. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Jawed Shamim was injured when the police tried to lift the blockade on the arterial AJC Bose Road. A CNN-IBN cameraperson was also hurt in the stone pelting.

"The cause of the protest is Nandigram tension and Taslima Nasreen. Without any provocation, the police started beating the protestors. Both Muslims and non-Muslims are on the streets now," Minority Front President Shehenshah Jehangir told CNN-IBN.

The situation is under control for the moment and curfew will be imposed in the trouble- torn areas like Park Circus, Moulali and Ripon Street from 2200 hours IST (10pm) to 0600 hours IST (6am) on Thursday.

“The police have brought the situation under control and the Rapid Action Force has also been deployed. The state government has conveyed to us that the situation is tense but fully under control,” India's National Govt. Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

The Army presence has helped bring the situation under control. Over 700 armed troops have been called in to conduct flag marches in Calcutta essentially to give out a message of law and order. Each Army column is being accompanied by a local magistrate as the troops are not authorised to use force without a written authorisation by the accompanying magistrate.

Meanwhile, West Bengal State Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya called an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation.

West Bengal State Home secretary P.R. Roy said more than 60 people have been arrested for the violence. "There has been no firing. Only tear gas shells were used and mob was lathicharged," (beaten back by batons) he said.

Police offers Taslima Nasreen to move out of Bengal

West Bengal State Police on Wednesday made an offer to controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen to move her out of the state following outbreak of large-scale violence in Calcutta during a shutdown called by a Muslim outfit demanding that her visa will be cancelled.

India's National Union Home Ministry sources told PTI that the police has suggested to Nasreen that she could be moved out to the Indian State of Gujarat but the author is believed to have turned down the offer.

The visa of the Bangladeshi writer has been extended by the Government till February 17 next year.