Indo-Asian News Service
Hyderabad: The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), whose legislators and cadres attacked Taslima Nasreen here, Friday threatened to behead the Bangladeshi author if she ever sets foot in the city again.

MIM leader in the Andhra Pradesh assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi said that anyone who commits 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," said Akbaruddin, whose party has five legislators in 294-member assembly, told reporters.

"If she comes to the city again we will kill her," added Muqtada Afasr Khan, one of the three MIM legislators who attacked the writer at a book release function at the Press Club.

Nasreen, who lives in exile in Kolkata following death threats from Muslim extremist groups in Bangladesh, was saved by journalists and organisers of the event who 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 Thursday. A large number of party workers greeted them with garlands.

They also got a pat on their back from MIM president and former MP Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi. "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 allege 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 Press Club as this could have caused harm to innocents," he said.

The journalists' union has urged Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy to disqualify the three legislators involved in the attack and is seeking stern action against the culprits who also damaged property of the Press Club.

The government has got flak from journalists, writers and women's organisations for not booking attempt to murder cases against the legislators. Home Minister K. Jana Reddy said he would look into the issue.

Jana Reddy said police had no prior information about Taslima's visit. "Had the organisers informed police about her visit they would have made proper security arrangements."

Nasreen first went into hiding in 1994, following the publication of her first book "Lajja", and then fled Bangladesh with support from international human rights organisations like PEN and Amnesty International.

She was given asylum in Sweden. Since then she has lived in Germany, France, the US and later Kolkata in India, where she got a tourist visa though her requests for citizenship have been repeatedly turned down by the Indian government.