Delhi riots book: Police complaint against publisher Bloomsbury and others after authors meet police chief

The authors with police chief S N Shrivastava

The authors of a book based on Delhi riots have filed a police complaint alleging that a PDF of the book was leaked by the publisher. According to a report in The Indian Express, the authors have also accused the publisher of cheating, mischief and misappropriation.

This comes days after Bloomsbury India withdrew from publishing the book — Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story. Bloomsbury India took the decision after backlash over a launch event which was attended by BJP leader Kapil Mishra.

The 190-page book suggests the riots were orchestrated by ‘jihadis’ and ‘urban Naxals’ and had ISIS links, the IE report said.

The authors have also sought action against a few media houses, journalists and others.

The book in question has been penned by Delhi University teachers Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra, and advocate Monika Arora.

Arora has also submitted a complaint against several media organisations, authors William Dalrymple, Meena Kandasamy and Aatish Taseer, and journalists Saket Gokhale and Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Arora has accused them of criminal intimidation and statements creating and promoting enmity between communities.

Monika said that they filed the complaint after meeting Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava.

“We informed the Commissioner of the happenings related to the book,” she said.

“I am actually glad this has happened. This should remove all doubt, in anyone’s mind, that these were not independent writers at all, but a state-sponsored syndicate, dedicated to whitewashing the role of certain BJP leaders in the Delhi Riots,” Author Aatish Taseer, also named in the complaint, tweeted.

The complaint lists offences of criminal intimidation, criminal breach of trust and cheating, mischief and misappropriation of property.