Taslima Nasreen Leaves Kolkata: A Giant Defeat for Secularism

Taslima Nasreen Leaves Kolkata: A Giant Defeat for Secularism

The BBC has just reported that Taslima Nasreen, the Bangladeshi author at the heart of Kolkata's riots has left the city for Jaipur. This follows a demand by Kolkata police to Taslima that she leave the city.

This is a tragedy of colossal proportions, akin to Modi's support of the Godhra riots. Since when is it the government's responsibility to evict law abiding residents of the territory, simply because a bunch of hooligans - Muslim or Hindu - decide to burn the city?
The government's action brings to mind two things. First, it stands in stark contrast to this article by a UK economist, celebrating diversity:

Diversity broadens the range of cultural experiences available in a city or country. As a Londoner, I’m delighted that local restaurants now serve food from around the world, rather than just the awful British stuff we once had to put up with...The biggest economic benefit of diversity is that it stimulates new ideas, which are the source of most economic growth, which in turn pays for the good schools, hospitals and other public goods that we value.Second, one wonders what is the future for the rest of us in India? India's great cities have each slowly turned fundamentalist - Delhi in 1984, Bombay in 1992, and now Kolkata.

The biggest tragedy, however, is that this country's moderate Muslims and Hindus remain silent - again. The political parties - rather than uniting behind Taslima, rejecting calls for her visa to be canceled, and denouncing the AIMF for the fundamentalists that they are, all parties have remained largely silent. They worry, perhaps, about disturbing their Muslim vote bank. So why does the Muslim vote bank not speak up?