Now, SIMI threat to Rushdie?
Vishwa Mohan \TNN
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday put the Rajasthan and Delhi governments on alert over plans to target Salman Rushdie if the controversial author goes ahead and attends the Jaipur Literature Festival beginning Friday.
The Centre,in its alert,said there was a plan by a leader of the outlawed fundamentalist outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to target Rushdie.The home ministry also warned authorities in DelhiRushdies likely disembarkation point in case he chooses to defy the threatsthat the Mumbai-based Raza Academy plans to humiliate the celebrated author.According to the ministry,academy general secretary Saeed Noorie has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who hurls a slipper at Rushdie.
The home ministry claimed that SIMI leader Saquib Nachan,who is one of the accused in the 2003 Mulund blast case,was exploring the option of targeting Rushdie during his visit.Nachan,a familiar figure for counter-terror agencies,has been out on bail since January 2011.
Citing the threats,the Centre has asked both Rajasthan and Delhi to make adequate security arrangements to ensure protection to Rushdie and for maintaining peace and communal harmony.
The Rajasthan government,wary of being accused of caving in to protests against the presence of Salman Rushdie at the Jaipur Literature Festival,appeared to be ramping up the pressure on the organizers to keep Rushdie away from the festival.I am sure the organizers will respect the sentiments of the local people, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said.
In fact,Gehlot,who discussed the issue with home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday,appeared to put the onus of warding off the threat of violence on the organizers of the festival even as he hailed the event as a matter of pride for Jaipur.Organizers should themselves step forward to ensure that things dont come to such a pass where there is a law and order situation.Government wishes that no such eventuality arises, the CM said in Jaipur.
Rajasthan government has so far walked a tightrope between nudging the organizers to cajole Rushdie into dropping his plans for India and not appearing to be giving into pressure from the protesters lest it is accused of appeasement.Gehlots remarks,however,pointed to an anxiety to achieve a swift closure on the matter.
Organizers who had on Tuesday said that Rushdie would not attend the inaugural event on Friday as planned kept quiet on Wednesday even as will he,wont he speculation persisted with greater intensity.The advisory issued by the home ministry was premised on the information the government had received from the organizers about Rushdies plan to touch down at New Delhi on Thursday.
Established in 1978 by Noorie and others,Raza Academy was set up for educational awareness among minorities,for raising voice against the atrocities on minorities and for all minority related matters......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEyLzAxLzE5I0FyMDAxMDc=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Vishwa Mohan \TNN
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday put the Rajasthan and Delhi governments on alert over plans to target Salman Rushdie if the controversial author goes ahead and attends the Jaipur Literature Festival beginning Friday.
The Centre,in its alert,said there was a plan by a leader of the outlawed fundamentalist outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to target Rushdie.The home ministry also warned authorities in DelhiRushdies likely disembarkation point in case he chooses to defy the threatsthat the Mumbai-based Raza Academy plans to humiliate the celebrated author.According to the ministry,academy general secretary Saeed Noorie has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who hurls a slipper at Rushdie.
The home ministry claimed that SIMI leader Saquib Nachan,who is one of the accused in the 2003 Mulund blast case,was exploring the option of targeting Rushdie during his visit.Nachan,a familiar figure for counter-terror agencies,has been out on bail since January 2011.
Citing the threats,the Centre has asked both Rajasthan and Delhi to make adequate security arrangements to ensure protection to Rushdie and for maintaining peace and communal harmony.
The Rajasthan government,wary of being accused of caving in to protests against the presence of Salman Rushdie at the Jaipur Literature Festival,appeared to be ramping up the pressure on the organizers to keep Rushdie away from the festival.I am sure the organizers will respect the sentiments of the local people, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said.
In fact,Gehlot,who discussed the issue with home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday,appeared to put the onus of warding off the threat of violence on the organizers of the festival even as he hailed the event as a matter of pride for Jaipur.Organizers should themselves step forward to ensure that things dont come to such a pass where there is a law and order situation.Government wishes that no such eventuality arises, the CM said in Jaipur.
Rajasthan government has so far walked a tightrope between nudging the organizers to cajole Rushdie into dropping his plans for India and not appearing to be giving into pressure from the protesters lest it is accused of appeasement.Gehlots remarks,however,pointed to an anxiety to achieve a swift closure on the matter.
Organizers who had on Tuesday said that Rushdie would not attend the inaugural event on Friday as planned kept quiet on Wednesday even as will he,wont he speculation persisted with greater intensity.The advisory issued by the home ministry was premised on the information the government had received from the organizers about Rushdies plan to touch down at New Delhi on Thursday.
Established in 1978 by Noorie and others,Raza Academy was set up for educational awareness among minorities,for raising voice against the atrocities on minorities and for all minority related matters......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEyLzAxLzE5I0FyMDAxMDc=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
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