“We strongly urge the government to reconsider the ban...” read a petition put forward by authors led by Nilanjana Roy. The book was banned in 1988 for its “blasphemous content hurting the sentiments of Muslims”.

The Satanic Verses “has not incited violence anywhere. Others have used the novel’s existence to incite violence to suit their political ends,” the petition said.

At one of the gatherings, publisher S Anand lashed out at the organisers for not supporting Rushdie. Pakistani author Mohd Haneef, too, backed Rushdie. “I find it quite bizarre. This is the world’s biggest democracy, the most multi-cultural society you can have and I think it’s sad that Rushdie has not been able to come,” he said.