I am mentally distressed, unwell: Taslima

Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on Friday said that she was mentally distressed and not well, even as the West Bengal government claimed that it was not involved in moving her out of the state.

"I am mentally distressed. I am not well at all," said Nasreen from an undisclosed location in her first reaction after leaving Kolkata on Thursday.

Asked where she was now after leaving Jaipur, Nasreen said, "I am not in a position to talk. I am shattered."  

However, the Bangladeshi writer said that she still believed that Kolkata was a secular and democratic place.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary P R Roy, when asked whether the government had directed her to move out, said: "We don't know about it. I came to know about it from the television

When he was told that Nasreen wanted to return to the metropolis, Roy said, "She's a free person. She can come. She can go."

Regarding her security in Kolkata, he said, "There were security arrangements for her."

On the demand by minority organisations that Nasreen's visa should be cancelled, Roy said, "We have informed the Centre."

Nasreen on Friday left for Delhi by road after an overnight stay at a Jaipur hotel as a Muslim outfit was opposed to her stay in Rajasthan.

She left Kolkata on Thursday for Jaipur after violence protests by the members of the All India Minority Forum demanding cancellation of her visa.