Satanic Verses, once banned in India, now selling briskly in Delhi

British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie's controversial book The Satanic Verses, which triggered violent protests in India decades ago, is now selling briskly at a prominent book store in New Delhi.

A limited stock of the book is selling at the Bahrisons Booksellers at Khan Market, a full 36 years after it was banned by the government of Rajiv Gandhi on grounds that it offended Muslim sentiments.

Khomeini’s ban

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Rushdie, urging Muslims to execute the author and publisher of the book. Muslims dubbed the book, a work of fiction, blasphemous.

The book triggered violent street protests in Mumbai, Rushdie’s birthplace, leading to police firing that left at least 12 people dead and 40 injured.

Also read | Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses unbanned in India: Why it must be read

The ban and widespread outrage forced the author, now 77 and a naturalised American citizen, to go into hiding. His book was banned in 20 countries including India.

Good sales in Delhi

"It has been a few days since we got the book and the response has been very good so far. The sale has been good," Bahrisons owner Rajni Malhotra told PTI.

The book, priced at Rs 1,999, is only available at Bahrisons in the entire Delhi and neighbouring region.

The bookseller posted on X: "This ground breaking and provocative novel has captivated readers for decades with its imaginative storytelling and bold themes. It has also been at the centre of intense global controversy since its release, sparking debates on free expression, faith, and art."

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Penguin India on book

Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-Chief, Penguin Random House India, also posted on the social media platform, quoting Rushdie.

"'Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true.' At long last. @SalmanRushdie's The Satanic Verses is allowed to be sold in India after a 36-year ban.”

Delhi High Court lifts ban

In November, the Delhi High Court closed the proceedings on a petition challenging the ban on the import of the novel, saying since authorities have failed to produce the relevant notification, it has to be presumed it does not exist.

The order came after government authorities failed to submit the notification dated October 5, 1988, which banned the import of the book.

In July 1991, the novelist's Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi was killed. In August 2022, Lebanese-American Hadi Matar stabbed Rushdie on stage at a lecture, leaving him blind in one eye.