VZCZCXRO3854
PP RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCI #0359 3271239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231239Z NOV 07
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1776
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2173

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