Lit Fest Organisers get nod for Rushdie s video link

Jaipur Literature Festival producer Sanjoy Roy confirmed on Tuesday that they have got permission from the police to go ahead with Salman Rushdie’s video conference.

Roy told reporters that the permission was granted after police were assured that no controversial works will be read out during Salman Rushdie’s video link.

The controversial author’s video conference will take place at 3:45 pm today and will run for about forty minutes where Rushdie will read excerpts from ‘Midnight’s Children.’

The authorities had earlier refused to grant permission till the time a written undertaking was given stating no excerpts will be read out from his controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses.’

Sources said that the video conference will be monitored by the state government.

Earlier, the government had refused to allow the Booker prize winning author to visit the festival as it feared threat to law and order situation owing to Rushdie’s controversial status. Rushdie, who was disappointed at not being able to attend the festival, was hopeful that he would be able to hold the video conference.

There has been huge amount of controversy and debate over Rushdie’s visit to the Pink City for the lit fest. Numerous Islamic groups protested against his visit and the author was asked to stay away by the Rajasthan government. Rushdie has had a fatwa issued against him in 1998 for his controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses’.