British author Salman Rushdie accused Indian police of making up an underworld plot to assassinate him that forced him to pull out of a literary festival over the weekend.

Mr Rushdie withdrew from the event in Jaipur after being warned by Indian officials that paid gunmen were heading to the city to kill him for his writing that is alleged to insult Muslims.

“I’ve investigated, and believe that I was indeed lied to. I am outraged and very angry,” Mr Rushdie said on Twitter after newspaper reports that Rajasthan police had concocted the death threat.

Mr Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which is banned in India, is seen by many Muslims as a blasphemous work that insults their religion.

The author, who was born in Mumbai, spent a decade in hiding after Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death over the novel. Authorities in Jaipur denied Mr Rushdie’s accusations.

Writers Hari Kunzru and Amitava Kumar read out passages of The Satanic Verses from the stage in protest, angering some local Muslim groups who had welcomed Mr Rushdie’s withdrawal from the programme.

Mr Rushdie appeared at the festival without incident in 2007 but this year Muslim activists lobbied for him to be banned, raising fears of angry protests and security problems at the scenic venue in the gardens of an old palace.

Among more than 250 speakers are also biologist and atheist author Richard Dawkins and Indian best-selling novelist Chetan Bhagat.

Police confirmed an official complaint from a member of the public was lodged in Jaipur on Sunday against the authors who had read out parts of The Satanic Verses.