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Peter Foley/European Pressphoto Agency
Salman Rushdie at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, April 27, 2011. View related slideshow.

It’s official: Salman Rushdie won’t be attending the Jaipur Literature Festival.

The news is a blow to the annual event, which will now have to do without one of its most eagerly anticipated guests. It is also another blot on India’s poor record on upholding freedom of expression.

In a statement read out by festival organizers Friday, Mr. Rushdie said he would no longer be traveling to Jaipur. The statement pointed at the failure of law enforcement authorities to make it safe for him to come to the capital of Rajasthan state in northwest India.

Security concerns relating to Mr. Rushdie’s planned visit have been mounting in the past two weeks, with Islamist groups threatening protests against the author of “The Satanic Verses,” which they see as blasphemous.

In the statement, Mr. Rushdie explained he had hoped authorities in Rajasthan “would put in place such precautions as might be necessary to allow me to come and address the Festival audience in circumstances that were comfortable and safe for all.”

Mr. Rushdie, who in recent months has become active on Tweeter, kept unusually mum on the issue. He explained he had done so at the request of local authorities.

“I have now been informed by intelligence sources in Maharashtra and Rajasthan that paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to Jaipur to “eliminate” me,” he said in the statement. This comment carried an unmistakable hint of irony, and he went on to openly question the veracity of the threats, saying he had “some doubts about the accuracy of this intelligence.”

Still, he added that it would have been “irresponsible” to come, considering the circumstances. “Irresponsible to my family, to the festival audience, and to my fellow writers.”

“I will therefore not travel to Jaipur as planned,” he said.

The announcement puts an end to speculation on whether the author would come to Jaipur. He initially appeared all over the festival program and was set to speak in sessions including one called “Midnight’s Child,” centered on his novel “Midnight’s Children,” which is being adapted into a film. A session with that name is still scheduled for Tuesday morning. No speaker is listed, but many festival-goers will be hoping that Mr. Rushdie will be there in spirit, if not on video.

Mr. Rushdie did make it to the Jaipur Literature Festival back in 2007, and his attendance then helped place the festival firmly on the global literati map.

At a press conference Friday, festival organizers conveyed their dismay at Mr. Rushdie’s announcement.

“The whole thing is a result of a tragic game of Chinese whispers,” said author William Dalrymple, the festival’s co-director. “We think the whole thing is a great tragedy and hope he will be able to come,” in the future, he added.

“We stand for the freedom of expression and we will continue to stand by that,” added Sanjoy Roy, the festival’s producer.

Ira Joshi, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Home Affairs, tried to distance the government from the issue.

“The government has nothing to do with Salman Rushdie’s visit. This matter is strictly between the festival organizers and Rushdie. To ensure adequate security at the event, we have appointed an advisory body for the Rajasthan state government,” she told India Real Time, adding that she wasn’t aware of any threats against Mr. Rushdie.

An official at the headquarters of the Rajasthan state police in Jaipur added that Mr. Rushdie would have been provided with security if he’d come to the festival.

“All security measures have been taken care of keeping in mind the high profile speakers and attendees at the festival,” he said, adding that he also wasn’t aware of any threats against the author.

Attempts by speakers at the festival, including novelist Hari Kunzru, to read out passages from “The Satanic Verses” later Friday, were opposed by festival organizers.

- Preetika Rana contributed to this post.

You can follow Margherita and India Real Time on Twitter @margheritamvs and @indiarealtime.

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