New Delhi: Bloomsbury India announced that it has withdrawn itself from publishing a book on the Delhi riots of February, after backlash over the announcement of a launch event with BJP leader Kapil Mishra among “guests of honour”. There have been allegations that Mishra had made an incendiary speech targeting anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters before the violence broke out in North East Delhi on February 23.
Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story was launched on Saturday at 4 pm. The lineup also included Nupur Sharma of the web platform ‘OpIndia’ and filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri. The launch event took place despite the publishing house’s decision.
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.
“Bloomsbury India strongly supports freedom of speech but also has a deep sense of responsibility towards society,” the publisher said.
BJP National General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav also participated in it.
The virtual event, where the book was “launched” by BJP MP and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, went ahead as planned. At the event, Yadav said he agreed with the authors that there should be an independent inquiry into “foreign funding”, and criticised the “unnecessary protest” against the book. “It shows that the so-called liberals don’t remain liberal when the truth comes out… Liberalism is actually India’s ideology, which accepts all kinds of ideas.”
Communal violence broke out in northeast Delhi on February 23 after citizenship law supporters and protesters clashed with each other in the area, leaving 53 people dead and nearly 200 injured.
