SOLAN (HP): India-born British author Salman Rushdie who faces a threat to life from Islamic fundamentalists is now entangled in o legal battle with the Himachal Pradesh government involving his ancestral property here.
The author of the controversial Satanic Verses living in self-exile under tight security somewhere in England has staked claims to the property gifted to him by his father Moulvi Anis Ahmed Rushdie who was originally a resident of this township. The property measuring three big has and 15 his was gifted to Salman Rashdie on July 4.1969
The main building and land called the Anis Villa Estate was rented out by the author’s father to the Education department and ‘was used for a long time as a hostel attached to the local government school It has recently been renovated and serves a5 the residence of the Additional District Magistrate. While some old residents of the township faintly remember Moulvi Anis Ahmed Rushdie they do not remember Salman Rushdie. In fact very few people in the township are even aware of the links of the well-known writer with the area Bodhi Chand an old resident living close to the ancestral home of Rushdie said he had never heard about the molives son and even he had shifted out shortly after the partition. However he said the Moulvi had been visiting the place occasionally but his visits had a stopped altogether a couple of decades ago
Arun Kumar Sharma Additional District Magistrate Who is now occupying the house said he had learned that the land and the house once belonged to Salman Rushdie’s ancestors. He said that he had moved in about two years ago and was told that the house had remained un-occupied for a number of years after serving as a: hostel for the local government school. The main structure of the house he said was retained while renovating the building.
Rushdie filed the petition this week in the High Court of Himachal Pradesh at Shimla.
Besides demanding possession of the property Rushdie has sought compensation by way of damages on account of use and occupation charges of the property at the rate of Rs 1000 per day from September29 1992 (when he had originally staked the claim) till the restoration of the property to him.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 24, 1994
