Rushdie had not been expected to arrive here for another few days, but the security apparatus was already enormous: this morning, I saw rooftop snipers, sniffer dogs, and X-ray machines—and visitors were frisked as they entered the grounds. By midday, it was announced that Rushdie had cancelled his trip. In a statement that was read to reporters, Rushdie said that he’d received information from intelligence sources that “paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to Jaipur to ‘eliminate’ me.” (The Guardian reported that Indian officials “feared some action by groups run by Dawood Ibrahim, a well-known organized-crime boss, who they believe is closely linked to the Pakistani security establishment.”) Rushdie said that he could hardly verify the intelligence reports, but for him to come to Jaipur would be “irresponsible to my family, to the festival audience, and to my fellow writers.” He may still appear next week, but only by video link.