New Delhi: Bloomsbury India on Saturday said that it will not publish an upcoming book in February on Delhi riots after there was an outrage over a virtual pre-publication launch, which it said was being organised without its knowledge.
The authors - advocate Monika Arora and Delhi University teachers Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra - were however, undeterred, saying one publisher may have declined but there many others to publish the book.
The publishing house faced massive backlash online after an advertisement of the book launch on Saturday with BJP leader Kapil Mishra as a guest of honour did the rounds on social media.
There have been allegations that several leaders including Mishra made inflammatory speeches targeting anti-citizenship law protesters before the violence broke out in Northeast Delhi on February 23.
Bloomsbury India issued a statement saying it strongly supports freedom of speech but also has a deep sense of responsibility towards society.
"Bloomsbury India had planned to release Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story in September, a book purportedly giving a factual report on the riots in Delhi in February 2020, based on investigations and interviews conducted by the authors.
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"However, in view of very recent events including a virtual pre-publication launch organised without our knowledge by the authors, with participation by parties of whom the publishers would not have approved, we have decided to withdraw publication of the book. Bloomsbury India strongly supports freedom of speech but also has a deep sense of responsibility towards society," the statement said.
The authors slammed 'left-liberals and intellectuals' for launching a social media campaign against the book, its writers and guests of the launch including senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav, Mishra and Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri.
"The book very well reveals how the urban Naxals and jihadists are weakening the theory of Indianness that is based on democracy, the Constitution and elections in the country," Yadav said.
Reacting to Bloomsbury India's decision to withdraw itself from publishing the book, author Arora said, "If one publisher withdraws, ten will rise. The messiahs of freedom of speech are scared of this book. They mounted a frontal attack on its writers, publisher and guests of the launch even before the book was released and one could go through it."
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Mishra asserted 'no power in the world can stop this book from coming out and people want to read it' and the 'contractors of freedom of speech are scared that the book will expose how training was given for the riots and the propaganda machinery was involved in it'.
Yadav said those behind Shaheen Bagh protest against the citizenship law earlier this year did not raise the issues of rights of women but spread 'poison' in the society.