India-born author Salman Rushdie attacked on lecture stage in New York
New York, Aug 12: Salman Rushdie, the Mumbai-born author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight's Children', was attacked by a man who stormed the stage during an event here on Friday while he was getting ready to deliver a lecture.
Rushdie, 75, who suffered years of death threats after the controversial book titled 'The Satanic Verses', was either punched or stabbed by a man on stage while he was being introduced at the event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York.
A video posted online shows attendees rushing onto the stage immediately following the incident. The attacker is said to have been restrained by those on the scene.
Rushdie's condition is not currently known, the BBC reported.
Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed after taking the stage at a Chautauqua Institute event. He received aid on-site and was able to eventually walk off stage with assistance, Twitter user Ryan Kelly said in a tweet.
Salmon Rushdie stabbed at Chautauqua. He's on the stage being treated. Before his scheduled speech, said Mary Newsom, a freelance journalist from Charlotte.
She tweeted a photo of moments after the attack that showed crews, and law enforcement authorities on stage.
Rushdie's fourth book, in 1988 - The Satanic Verses - forced him into hiding for nine years.
A year after the book's publication, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for Rushdie's execution for publishing the book for its blasphemous content.
According to witnesses at the scene, Rushdie fell through a barrier to the stage and was seen with blood on his hands. The audience tackled the attacker. Rushdie was then treated onstage following the assault.
Since the 1980s, Rushdie's writing has led to death threats from Iran, which has offered a USD 3 million reward for anyone who kills him.
Rushdie returns to Chautauqua Institution for a special Chautauqua Lecture Series event exploring the Week Seven theme of More than Shelter, joined by Henry Reese, co-founder of the Pittsburgh nonprofit City of Asylum - the largest residency programme in the world for writers living in exile under threat of persecution - for a discussion of the United States as asylum for writers and other artists in exile and as a home for freedom of creative expression.
#BREAKING: India born author Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage at an event in New York. Attacker arrested by the Police. Rushdie has faced death threats from Islamists since years after writing The Satanic Verses. The event where he was attacked was by @chq. pic.twitter.com/56o13hFNHg
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 12, 2022
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Rahul Gandhi lays foundation stone for 100 houses for landslide victims in Wayanad
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for 100 houses to be constructed by the party for victims of the 2024 landslide here.
Congress is constructing 100 houses, each measuring 1,100 sq ft and 8 cents of land.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha assured the affected families that he and his family would always stand with those who had lost everything in the tragedy.
He recalled witnessing two major landslides and how people responded to them.
“You have lost a lot, but you have not lost your spirit. You never lost your courage. Most importantly, you did not lose your compassion,” Gandhi said.
Rahul said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pointed out alleged delays in the process of constructing houses for the victims.
“There were complexities related to permissions, land and other issues. Now, I hope it will be completed soon,” he said.
He described the ceremony as a "symbol and a message" to the affected families.
“In this process of recovery and healing, we are with you. We will stand with you whenever you need us,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she had witnessed the hardship of people who lost everything, including their families.
She mentioned Anyan and Hanni, who lost their farms and family members in the landslide.
“We have tried our best to raise your voice in Parliament again and again. All our MPs met the Home Minister to demand that it be declared a national disaster. We wrote to the Prime Minister and held protests outside Parliament,” she said.
She said what struck her most after the tragedy was the courage of the people.
“The way you all stood together, no matter what religion or section you belong to, you gave love and courage when it mattered most,” she said.
She said she was not the MP when the tragedy struck, but had since become a daughter, sister and part of the family.
Vadra said all political parties had contributed to the rehabilitation process.
As the people's struggle continues, the party would stand with them to overcome it, she added.
Both leaders also distributed Rs 5 lakh each to 40 people who lost their shops in the landslide.
Senior Congress and UDF leaders were present at the event.
