The Directorate of Public Libraries in Tamil Nadu has ordered the removal of over 70,000 books allegedly linked to publishers Agalvilaku and Phoenix from 4,755 public libraries across the state, following a controversy over the authenticity of the publications.
The move comes after writer Perumal Murugan alleged that certain books displayed at the recently inaugurated Coimbatore Periyar Arivagam were fake and had not been published by the publishers mentioned.
Following the allegations, the state government ordered an inquiry, and the controversial books were immediately removed from the Coimbatore library.
Subsequently, the Directorate instructed officials to inspect and verify books from the two publishers across all public libraries. The exercise resulted in the identification and removal of around 70,000 books, estimated to be worth several lakhs of rupees.
In Chennai, around 2,260 books are being removed from 162 public libraries.
Officials have also identified allegedly counterfeit books from other publishers, with the removal drive expected to continue in the coming days.