Mumbai: Adding a new twist to the controversy over Salman Rushdie's participation in the Jaipur Literature Festival, sources in Mumbai Police denied giving any inputs about paid assassins.
The sources have countered the Booker-winning author's claim that paid assassins were out to get him. The sources told CNN-IBN there were no intelligence inputs about a threat to Rushdie and that they gave no inputs regarding paid assassins eyeing Rushdie.
BJP Leader Uma Bharti also reacted to the controversy on Saturday and said, "The Salman Rushdie controversy is being made an issue because of the UP elections. A person has the right to express himself till his expressions do not let down another person. The row over Rushdie is being guided by the UP elections."
Rushdie on Friday called off his Jaipur visit saying there were threats from the underworld.
Rushdie issued a statement through the organisers of the festival saying that he will not be coming to the event. "Very sad not to be at Jaipur. I was told Bombay mafia don issued weapons to 2 hitmen to "eliminate" me. Will do video link instead. Damn," Rushdie tweeted.
Jaipur Literature Festival organiser Sanjoy Roy had made the announcement saying that Rushdie decided not to attend as there is a threat to his life in India.
"There are intelligence inputs from Rajasthan and Maharashtra that paid assassins are on their way so he wants to be responsible to himself, people at the festival and everyone," said Roy.
Authors Hari Kunzru and Amitava Kumar also read out a passage from his banned book the 'Satanic Verses' on Friday to lodge their protest over Rushdie's absence before they were stopped by the organisers of the festival. An hour later, writer Ruchir Joshi and poet Jeet Thayil repeated the act of defiance. They, too, were stopped by the organisers.
Influential Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had demanded that Rushdie should not be allowed into India over his book The Satanic Verses published more than 20 years ago. There was also a fatwa that anybody willing to hurl a shoe at Rushdie would be paid Rs 1 lakh.
The sources have countered the Booker-winning author's claim that paid assassins were out to get him. The sources told CNN-IBN there were no intelligence inputs about a threat to Rushdie and that they gave no inputs regarding paid assassins eyeing Rushdie.
BJP Leader Uma Bharti also reacted to the controversy on Saturday and said, "The Salman Rushdie controversy is being made an issue because of the UP elections. A person has the right to express himself till his expressions do not let down another person. The row over Rushdie is being guided by the UP elections."
Rushdie issued a statement through the organisers of the festival saying that he will not be coming to the event. "Very sad not to be at Jaipur. I was told Bombay mafia don issued weapons to 2 hitmen to "eliminate" me. Will do video link instead. Damn," Rushdie tweeted.
Jaipur Literature Festival organiser Sanjoy Roy had made the announcement saying that Rushdie decided not to attend as there is a threat to his life in India.
"There are intelligence inputs from Rajasthan and Maharashtra that paid assassins are on their way so he wants to be responsible to himself, people at the festival and everyone," said Roy.
Authors Hari Kunzru and Amitava Kumar also read out a passage from his banned book the 'Satanic Verses' on Friday to lodge their protest over Rushdie's absence before they were stopped by the organisers of the festival. An hour later, writer Ruchir Joshi and poet Jeet Thayil repeated the act of defiance. They, too, were stopped by the organisers.
Influential Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had demanded that Rushdie should not be allowed into India over his book The Satanic Verses published more than 20 years ago. There was also a fatwa that anybody willing to hurl a shoe at Rushdie would be paid Rs 1 lakh.
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