When liberals fall into illiberal trap

While Bloomsbury India’s decision to withdraw the book titled Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story will keep copies of the book off the shelves for now, it has kicked up a storm and raised troubling questions relating to freedom of speech in the country. Not much is known about the contents of the book. It claims to lay bare the “untold story” of the horrific violence that convulsed north-east Delhi in February, which left around 53 people, mainly Muslims, dead. The book reportedly depicts the violence as a conspiracy by ‘urban naxals’ and ‘jihadists’ that was carried out by Muslims linked to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The immediate spark for the controversy over the book’s publication was a virtual publicity event where Kapil Mishra, the BJP leader whose incendiary speech incited the communal riots, was the chief guest. A section of liberal intellectuals and rights activists expressed outrage over this. It quickly gathered momentum on social media to become a protest against the book’s publication. The book was slammed for distorting facts and Bloomsbury was criticised for giving a platform for Hindutva propaganda.

If Delhi Riots is indeed a one-sided account of the terrible communal violence early this year, it will show up the biases and poor research capabilities of its three authors. Bloomsbury’s decision to publish the book and then withdraw it and its attempt to distance itself from the controversy by claiming it was kept in the dark about the publicity event has damaged its credibility. However, as disturbing is the outrage expressed by a section of left-liberals against the book. Many of them have not read its contents. That has not prevented them from railing against its publication. Some called for the book’s withdrawal, even ban, which puts them in the same illiberal boat as the right-wing bigots who burnt books and forced the government to ban Wendy Doniger’s book on Hinduism and James Laine’s biography of Shivaji a few years ago.

The role of the media and publishing houses in propagating hate and peddling of falsehood as fact is of grave concern. But the way to address the problem is to counter it by publishing other perspectives and counter-arguments. Bloomsbury’s decision to withdraw the book will not keep the book off the shelves forever as others will publish the book. Liberals may have strengthened the illiberal cause as the controversy has generated interest in the book. It will boost its readership. If the idea is to defeat the ideas that Delhi Riots propagates, it can only be done by encouraging discussion and debate.