Nandigram was burning. Kolkata was beginning to witness Nandigram's aftermath.
Suddenly out of nowhere, protests against Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's presence in Kolkata. Nandigram is forgotten.
Within hours of the violent protests in Kolkata, the writer is rushed out of the city to Rajasthan, then to Delhi and then to a secret location.
The series of events caps what is a very, very bad year for Taslima.
In March, the All India Ittehad Millat Council of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, offers Rs 500,000 for anyone who beheaded her. The group's president, Tauqir Raza Khan, says the only way the bounty would be lifted was if Nasreen apologises, burns her books and leaves India.
In August, Taslima is attacked at the Hyderabad Press Club, when she arrives there for the launch of her book Shodh in Telugu. Among those who attack her are three legislators of the Andhra Pradesh assembly.
After being moved from one state to another for her safety, she finally agrees to withdraw the controversial lines in her book that sparked the furore. For now she seems to have found her peace.
Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Taslima Nasreen: Writer on the run
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