'The Satanic Verses' returns: Throwback to 1989 when Salman Rushdie's book unleashed chaos in Mumbai

The controversial book 'The Satanic Verses' by British-Indian author Salman Rushdie is once again available in the market.

A Delhi bookseller has started selling the book after importing it from the United States. Recently, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court to lift the ban on this book.

Its reappearance in the market is reminiscent of February 1989, when the book triggered bloodshed in Mumbai.

In 1988, the then Rajiv Gandhi government imposed a ban on the book, considering the protests from the Muslim community. The book stirred controversies globally, with attacks on its publishers and vandalism at stores selling it. About two and a half years ago, in New York, Salman Rushdie himself suffered a severe attack that left him blind in one eye.

Although the government had banned the book, three months after the ban, angered members of the Muslim community decided to hit the streets in protest. Various Muslim organizations set a date in February 1989. A march was planned from Mastan Talab in Nagpada to the British consulate at Flora Fountain in the afternoon. Urdu newspapers carried advertisements urging Mumbai’s Muslims to join the march.

As soon as news of the march reached the Mumbai Police, they grew concerned about possible law and order issues. In a preemptive move, the police arrested the leaders spearheading the march the night before. However, this turned out to be a grave mistake. Unaware of the arrests, a massive crowd gathered at Mastan Talab. By the afternoon, thousands began marching towards Flora Fountain via Mohammed Ali Road. With the leaders in custody, the crowd lacked direction or control.

Around 3pm, as the march reached Crawford Market in South Mumbai, the police set up barricades to stop it.

Senior officers appealed to the protestors to return and proposed that a five-member delegation could visit the British consulate to submit their memorandum of protest. However, the enraged crowd refused to listen.

While negotiations were ongoing, stones, empty bottles, and footwear were suddenly hurled at the police from the crowd. The police responded with a baton charge. Chaos ensued on Mohammed Ali Road, with protestors scattering into nearby alleys and re-emerging to pelt stones at the police. The situation turned violent, escalating into a full-blown riot on Mohammed Ali Road.

Rioters set vehicles ablaze, torched a police outpost at the entrance of Chakla Street near Masjid Bunder, and destroyed several police vehicles. For about two hours, violence raged on Mohammed Ali Road. The police used tear gas to disperse the rioters, but the canisters failed to explode—they were later found to be expired. Eventually, the police resorted to firing.

Twelve people lost their lives in the police firing. Among the dead were innocent bystanders with no connection to the violent protests. Two of the victims were travelers from Kerala, passing through Mumbai on their way to Umrah. They were shot while watching the chaos below from their hotel window. Another young man, returning home after closing his shop, also fell victim to police bullets.

Chaos erupted at Mumbai’s JJ Hospital, where the injured were being brought in one after another. The influx of casualties and the crowd of their family members created a state of utter pandemonium in the hospital.

This incident once again highlights Mumbai’s reactive character—a city where events occurring in any corner of the world evoke a response. Salman Rushdie wrote the book in Britain, a death fatwa was issued by Iran, the ban was imposed by the government in Delhi, but it was Mumbai’s streets that bore the brunt of the bloodshed.