Concern in Rajya Sabha over killing of Indian writer Sushmita Banerjee in Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha today expressed concern over the brutal killing of Indian writer Sushmita Banerjee in Afghanistan by Taliban militants.

"It is a cold blooded murder," Kunal Kumar Ghosh ( Trinamool Congress) said, raising the issue during Zero Hour.

He said Banerjee (49) had just returned to Kabul after celebrating Eid in Kolkata.

The Indian writer, he said, was engaged in social work and Taliban did not let her do constructive jobs.

"She was totally against Taliban...I salute Sushmita. Against all odds, she continued her social work," he said, and demanded that the sentiments should be conveyed by Indian government to its Afghan counterpart.

D Raja (CPI), Rama Chandra Khuntia (Cong), Najma Heptulla ( BJP) and Naresh Agarwal (SP) were among other members who associated themselves with the issue.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said it was a very unfortunate incident.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla said Minister of External Affairs was seized of the matter.

Banerjee, whose memoir about her dramatic escape from Taliban clutches was turned into a Bollywood film, was killed outside her home in eastern Paktika province on September 4.

Taliban militants arrived at her home in the provincial capital of Kharana, tied up her husband and other members of the family, took Banerjee out and shot her, Ghosh said.

She was married to Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan and recently moved back to Afghanistan to live with him.

Banerjee's book "Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou" (A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife), about her escape from the Taliban in 1995, became a bestseller in India and was made into Bollywood film "Escape From Taliban" in 2003 starring Manisha Koirala and was billed as "story of a woman who dares (the) Taliban".