fter George W. Bush and P. Chidamabram, Salman Rushdie might be the next shoe victim. Raza academy, an organisation based in Mumbai with a Sunni Muslim following, has released a statement urging anyone to throw a shoe at Rushdie. "Raza Academy announces reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who hurls a slipper on Salman Rushdie's face on his visit to Jaipur. We also undertake to appoint a lawyer for him," read the statement.

The incident comes nearly a week after a Trinamool Congress minister and the Islamic seminary, Dar-ul Uloom Deoband, demanded the cancellation of Rushdie's visa. "Our members also met the Rajasthan CM (Ashok Gehlot) on Thursday. However, he said that it was a matter within the purview of the centre. We will also have a meeting soon regarding our future mode of protest," said Syed Noori, general secretary, Raza Academy. The announcement against Rushdie has been widely condemned by Muslim scholars and intellectuals.

Since the release of Satanic Verses in 1988, which was alleged to be blasphemous, the writer has been subjected to innumerable death threats and legal actions for hurting Muslim sentiments across the world. The book was also banned by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1988.