Literature fest withdraws invite to writer Nayantara Sahgal after threat

The decision was taken to 'avoid any untoward incident and in view of the controversy that has cropped up against her name,' say organisers.

Organisers of a literature festival on Sunday said they have withdrawn an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal, a critic of the Narendra Modi government, after "some people" threatened to disrupt the function.

The decision was taken to "avoid any untoward incident and in view of the controversy that has cropped up against her name", said organisers of the All India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Yavatmal.

Sahgal, 91 and a Sahitya Akademi awardee, was at the forefront of the 2015 "awardwapsi" campaign against the "growing intolerance in the country" under Modi government. She is a niece of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister.

Sahgal,