Kolkata: After Salman Rushdie, Muslim groups today (Jan 16, 2004) turned the heat on visiting controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, with a leading cleric threatening "serious consequences" if she did not leave the city within a week.

"She (Nasreen) has come here to disturb the communal harmony and she should immediately leave the city. Otherwise there would be serious consequences," Imam of Tipu Sultan mosque Maulana Noorul Rahman Barkati said at a gathering immediately after Friday prayer.

Speaking amidst chants of 'Taslima go back', Barkati said, "We are giving her one week time to leave the city. After that we will not be responsible for the consequences."

Nasreen, who flew in to Kolkata on Wednesday (Jan 14, 2005) for a month-long stay, has sparked off a controversy for alleged anti-Islamic contents of her autobiographical book 'Dwikhandita' (Split in Two), prompting the West Bengal Government to ban it. She is scheduled to release her new book 'Shei Shob Andhokar' (Those Dark Days) at Kolkata Book Fair later this month.

Another Muslim group, Jamiat-E-Ulama has already demanded a public apology by her for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community in the proscribed book while describing her as "intolerable".

The All India Minority Forum, a city based organisation, has also threatened demonstrations against Nasreen at the Book Fair threatening to prevent the release of 'Shei Shob Andhokar'.

The agitations against Nasreen comes in the wake of similar threats against Salman Rushdie in Mumbai on January 12 when a Muslim body announced a reward for blackening the face of the author of 'Satanic Verses'.

Barkati blamed the Centre for Taslima's arrival in Kolkata, while alleging that it would only disturb the communal harmony in the State as her writings are inflammatory.

"We don't want any disturbance in our city or State and that is why we are demanding that Taslima Nasreen, who is not only an enemy of Islam, but also of humanity should leave the city immediately," he said.

Later when told that Nasreen's plans of about a month-long sojourn in the city and her book release, he said, "I am not sure if she will be able to release her book."

To a query what action he was contemplating if Nasreen ignored his warning, Barkati said, "We will decide on it next Friday."

Nasreen has already demanded that the publisher of her new book be given special security cover in view of the threat to stall the release.

The Bangladeshi author, who lives in exile ever since the fundamentalist Muslim groups in her country issued 'fatwa' against her after her first work 'Lajja' (Shame) in 1994, however, seems least perturbed by the threats.

"Ban and threats have long become part of my life. But no one has ever said I can't release a book before knowing its contents... This is a new form of fundamentalism that I am witnessing," Nasreen said last evening.

The author said she would not request West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to lift the ban on 'Dwikhandita', as it hardly makes any difference, as she knows her fans across the world are with her.

The book is already on the net and is being read by people across the world, she said.