Intellectuals condemn attack on Taslima by MIM activists

New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) Writers and intellectuals today condemned the attack on Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen by activists of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) at the Hyderabad press club, and demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government take legal action against the culprits.

In a joint statement released here, intellectuals like Ali Asghar, Ashok Vajpayee, Kedarnath Sahni, Shabnam Hashmi, and others said,''it is the immunity that bigots like the MIM and other fundamentalist organisations enjoy that allows them to feel emboldened enough to attack a writer of the stature of Tasleema Nasreen who is an honoured guest of this country.'' ''We demand from the state government immediate and severe legal action against the culprits and demand that the MIM tender an apology to Tasleema for this shameful act of its cadre,''the joint statement said.

UNI