Rushdie video link at Jaipur unlikely: Reports

Controversial British Indian writer Salman Rushdie might not be allowed to address the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) via video conferencing on Tuesday as authorities fear it could spark religious tensions, media reports said on Monday.

Reports quoting unnamed sources in the government and police said that concerns about law and order may be used to pull the plug on the video linked interaction that had been arranged for Tuesday afternoon after the author was made to cancel his visit following possibly concocted death threats.

Some reports however said that he will be allowed to address an interaction on the condition that he will not make any reference of his controversial book "The Satanic Verses" which is banned in India due to its supposed disrespectful references to Islam..

JLF organisers, however, in a statement said, "We have sent the police a letter. They have asked for clarifications which we are sending. We have not been told we can can´t do this. As of now video link scheduled for 3:45 pm.

"They (the police) have asked for clarifications on the format and timing. They have not asked for an affidavit. We will be sticking to the law of the land. We know the book is banned," it added.

According reports, a police complaint has already been filed against the organisers of the Literary Festival as well as the four authors who had read out from the controversial book "The Satanic Verses" at the festival.

The four persons namely Hari Kunzru, Amitava Kumar, Jeet Thayil and Ruchir Joshi who read passages from the banned book were asked by the organisers to leave the festival.

Earlier, Rushdie expressed his outraged over what appeared to him a "ploy" by the Rajasthan Police to keep him away from the JLF to quell protests by a few Muslim groups.

The Booker Prize winning writer had to cancel his planned visit to JLF on Friday after what he said the authorities warned him of possible bid on his life by hired assassins of Mumbai underworld.

But with the Mumbai police denying ever coming up with any such news, Rushdie now sees the entire episode as a ploy to keep him away from the festival.

He was told that Mumbai underworld assassins were engaged to kill him, but the Mumbai Police later rubbished the news saying they had no such input ever.

An angry Rushdie on Sunday tweeted citing a news story in The Hindu: "'Rajasthan police invented plot to keep away Rushdi". I´ve investigated, & believe that I was indeed lied to. I am outraged and very angry."

"Don´t know who gave orders. And yes I guess the same police who want to arrest Hari, Amitava, Jeet and Ruchir. Disgusting," posted Rushdie.

However, Rushdie has agreed to do a video link interaction from New York with the festival venue in Jaipur.

Rushdie´s decision to stay away from the festival triggered protests by the intellectuals in India who had gathered at the literary carnival in the historic city of Jaipur to take part in what is now Asia´s biggest such festival.

They slammed the Indian authorities for failing to offer protection to the London-based writer who was in hiding for years earlier following the threats by the Islamic fundamentalists.

The scheduled visit of Rushdie was under cloud ever since an Indian Islamic seminary protested his invitation to the festival, though he had graced it in the past without a whimper of protest.

Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, which is based in a town in Uttar Pradesh state, had urged the Indian government to cancel the visa to the writer who penned The Satanic Verses, a book that had remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, the Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom, said that the government should cancel Rushdie´s visa as he had hurt the ´religious sentiments´ of Muslims through his writings in the past.