Two weeks after Rushdie stabbing, India reacts: Horrific, wish him speedy recovery

India was among the first countries to ban his novel, The Satanic Verses, after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death following its publication.

Author Salman Rushdie (AP)

India Thursday condemned the stabbing of Salman Rushdie as “horrific”, its first official reaction that comes nearly two weeks after the incident in New York.

“India has always stood against violence and extremism. We condemn the horrific attack on Salman Rushdie and we wish him a speedy recovery,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to questions at a weekly briefing.

While the attack on Rushdie sparked global outrage, India maintained a marked silence.

India was among the first countries to ban his novel, The Satanic Verses, after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death following its publication.

Rushdie, 75, was stabbed in New York on August 12.

He suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye, his agent Andrew Wylie said. Rushdie was likely to lose the injured eye.

His assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack through his lawyer.

An Iranian government official has denied that Tehran was involved in the assault, though he justified the stabbing.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram