A major controversy broke out at the 36th Kolkata International Book Fair when a book written by Taslima Nasreen was not allowed to be released at the venue. The book Nirbasan (Exile) was to have been released at an auditorium inside the premises but the organisers of the Book Fair cancelled it at the eleventh hour saying security concerns.

The book Nirbasan is the seventh part of an autobiography series and recounts the incidents that led to her ouster from the city in 2007.

The book however was released at the stall of the publishers.