BREAKING: Author Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage during lecture in New York

Indian-born author Salman Rushdie, who has often remained in the middle of controversies due to his contentious views on several issues, was attacked in western New York while he was on stage during an event, according to media reports.

According to news reports, Salman Rushdie was in New York to deliver a lecture, when a man climbed on stage and attacked him with a sharp object. Till now, there is no health update regarding the author’s health condition.

An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced. The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained.

Rushdie's book ‘The Satanic Verses’ has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. A year later, Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie's death.

A bounty of over USD 3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.

Iran's government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini's decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment lingered. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty for Rushdie from USD 2.8 million to USD 3.3 million.

Rushdie dismissed that threat at the time, saying there was ‘no evidence’ of people being interested in the reward.

Some of the most popular books written by Salman Rushdie include The Satanic Verses, Midnight’s Children, Shame, and The Golden House.

(With PTI inputs)

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