Highly-placed sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have denied the Rajasthan government's claims that it received central intelligence warnings of a plot against the life of eminent author Salman Rushdie.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had told The Hindu that his government received “at least seven extremely detailed reports from the Intelligence Bureau telling us that certain persons were making their way to Jaipur to eliminate Mr. Rushdie.”
“There was no information that hitmen or hired killers from the underworld might target Mr. Rushdie during his visit,” a senior MHA official told reporters on Tuesday.
One report sent to the Rajasthan government was about plans by an Islamist group to throw a shoe at Mr. Rushdie, he added.