India condemns attack on Salman Rushdie, wishes him speedy recovery

India on Thursday condemned the "horrific attack" on the celebrated novelist and wished him a speedy recovery.

New Delhi: In its first official reaction to the stabbing of Salman Rushdie, India on Thursday condemned the "horrific attack" on the celebrated novelist and wished him a speedy recovery. Rushdie, 75, was stabbed in the neck and torso at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on August 12.

"India has always stood against violence and extremism. We condemn the horrific attack on Salman Rushdie and we wish him a speedy recovery," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly media briefing. The attack on Rushdie triggered global condemnation and outpouring of support for the author. Rushdie spent years in hiding after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a 'fatwa' in 1989 calling for his death following the publication of his novel 'The Satanic Verses'.

A majority of Muslims across the world saw the novel as blasphemous. India was among the first few countries which banned the book. A 24-year-old man, Hadi Matar, was identified as the alleged attacker. Rushdie was airlifted from a field adjacent to the venue of the event to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania where the writer underwent surgery.

Following the attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie and the novelist has consistently stood up for the universal rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Following the attack, Iran denied any link with the attacker. (PTI)