Rushdie videochat called off to save our children,everyone

Three weeks after this idiotic situation,we had to step down from the fight, said Sanjoy Roy

With the organisers claiming they had been pushed to the wall ,Salman Rushdies video conference at Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) too was cancelled today due to security concerns.

Finally the owner of Diggi Palace,the venue of the JLF,said they had decided not to allow the conference on the advice of the police. The police have informed that there are people inside the venue ready to create trouble, Ram Pratap Singh said.

Three weeks after this idiotic situation,we had to step down from the fight, said Sanjoy Roy,the festival producer. This is a sad day for freedom of expression and freedom of writing… We had no other way but to listen to save the people here,our children and everyone.

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He added that while they could not support this decision,they had been pushed to the wall. Roy,however,lauded the Jaipur police who,he said,were ready to provide security. We are hurt and this is a matter of shame but I thank the police.

Uncertainty over the video conference began early Tuesday after leaders of Muslim organisations turned up at the JLF venue. The very face of Salman Rushdie offends us and we will not allow this video conference to happen, said Sajid Mohammad,a leader of the Muslim Manch. We will not be responsible for what happens if this continues.

The police said they were ready to handle any untoward incident but could not predict the measures they would have to use if violence broke out.