The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), whose legislators and cadre attacked Taslima Nasreen here, on Friday threatened to behead the Bangladeshi author, if she ever set foot in the city again.

MIM leader in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi said that anyone who committed blasphemy deserved to be beheaded. “Muslims are proud of what our legislators and workers have done, because we can never tolerate any insult to Prophet Mohammed,”  Akbaruddin, whose party has five legislators in the 294-member Assembly, told reporters.

“If she comes to the city again, we will kill her”, added Muqtada Afsar Khan, one of the three MIM legislators who attacked the writer at a book release function in the press club.

Ms Nasreen, who lives in exile in Kolkata following death threats from Muslim extremist groups in Bangladesh, was rescued by journalists and organisers of the event. They later escorted her to the airport.

The three MIM legislators and 15 others arrested and charged with rioting, trespass, criminal intimidation, causing hurt and unlawful assembly, were released on bail, late on Thursday.

A large number of party workers greeted them with garlands. They also received a pat on their backs from MIM President and former MP Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi. He said, “our partymen deserved a pat on their back for what they have done. I feel we should have done more”.

Adding a fresh twist, MIM’s rivals alleged that the party allowed the writer to escape unhurt and sabotaged their plan to kill her.

“It was a sabotage of our plans to kill Taslima”, said Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Majeedullah Khan Farhat.

He claimed that his party activists were waiting outside the press club to attack her.

“We did not want to attack her in the press club, as this could have caused harm to innocents”, he said.

The journalists’ union has urged Assembly Speaker K R Suresh Reddy to disqualify the three legislators involved in the attack.

It is also seeking stern action against the culprits who also damaged property of the Press Club.

MUSLIM LEADERS CONDEMN ATTACK

New Delhi, PTI: Muslim leaders and intellectuals on Friday strongly condemned the attack on controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen terming the incident as “shameful” and “barbaric”.

“The incident was outrageous and shameful. In a civilised society, you have a right to approve or disapprove of anything,” noted lyricist and author Javed Akhtar said.

Observing that fundamentalists are becoming “bolder and bolder by the day,” he said, “these (the attackers) are the same people who criticise Bajrang Dal and VHP. What is the difference between them and the Hindu fundamentalist organisations”.

“Fundamentalists are getting bolder and bolder as they can get away with almost anything. That is the problem,” Akhtar said.

Delhi Minorities Commission Chairperson Kamal Farooqui said the incident was condemnable, specially as three MLAs were involved in it.