Banerjee at the promotion of a film based on her book

Indian author Sushmita Banerjee, 49, whose book about her escape from the Taliban was made into a Bollywood film, was shot dead by militants outside her home in Paktika province of Afghanistan, police said on Thursday.

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

Suspected Taliban militants arrived at her home in the provincial capital of Kharana, tied up her husband and other family members, took Banerjee out and shot her, police were quoted as saying by BBC. No group has claimed responsibility.

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Banerjee's book Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou, about her escape from the Taliban in 1995, was made into a Bollywood film, Escape From Taliban, starring actress Manisha Koirala, in 2003.

"I last met her in 2006... I believe she returned to Afghanistan because of her love for that country,'' said Ujjwal Chatterjee, director of the film.

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Yasmin Khan, great granddaughter of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, said Banerjee was also attacked by Jaanbaz Khan's friend in Kolkata in 2002. "I believe she should have not returned to Afghanistan... she was not even liked by the Afghan community here," she said.

 with PTI in Kabul

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