Does Bloomsbury’s decision to withdraw book on Delhi riots undermine free speech? A debate ensues

On August 22, Bloomsbury India announced that it would no longer be publishing a book called Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story. The book was scheduled for release in September.

In its statement, the publishing house did not comment on the contents of the book. The main sticking point was a pre-publication launch that was apparently planned without its knowledge and with the “participation of parties of whom the publishers would not have approved”. The publishing house said it supported “freedom of speech” but also had “a deep sense of responsibility towards society”.

For chief guest, the online book launch had chosen Kapil Mishra, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader accused of making an inflammatory speech a day before full-blown violence spread in North East Delhi this February. Also in attendance were the BJP member of Parliament and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, Nupur J Sharma, editor of the rightwing website OpIndia, and filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri. The event took place as planned even though the book was withdrawn.

As news of the event broke last week, it was greeted with outrage on social media. Bloomsbury India’s decision to withdraw publication now has given rise to fresh debate. Should the publishing house have agreed to print the book in the first...

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