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Penguin Books India pulps academic book on Hinduism in legal settlement | World news | The Guardian
A complaint about The Hindus: An Alternative History by Professor Wendy Doniger, a US academic, was filed by seven petitioners after the book's publication in 2011. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
Penguin Books India has agreed to withdraw from sale all copies of a book that takes an unorthodox view of Hinduism, and will pulp them as part of a settlement after a case was filed against the publisher.
The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger, a professor at the University of Chicago's divinity school, was published in India in 2011. Its depiction of the religion drew criticism from conservative Hindus and scholars.
Penguin agreed on Monday in the district court in Delhi to recall the book, according to the petitioners' lawyer, Monika Arora. What appeared to be a copy of the court agreement was available on the internet on Tuesday. A complaint was filed by seven petitioners in the court in 2011.
Penguin did not respond to requests for comment.
The lead petitioner's original complaint criticised the book for "heresies and factual inaccuracies" and claimed Doniger had a selective approach to writing about Hinduism.
"She denounced the Hindu gods and freedom fighters of India," said Arora.
A group headed by the lead petitioner has previously made complaints about subjects including sex education in schools and a magazine article about Hindu militancy.
The book's withdrawal caused anger on Twitter, rekindling a debate about freedom of speech in the world's largest democracy.
"The 'offended' prevail over freedom of speech. Surely gods [sic] too great to be so easily upset?" tweeted Meenakshi Ganguly, the south Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
It was not the first time a book has been banned in India. Salman Rushdie's 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which many Muslims deemed blasphemous, is proscribed due to its depiction of Islam.
The legal notice said Doniger was incorrect in describing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's largest Hindu nationalist organisation, as the militant wing of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the frontrunner in the national elections due to take place by May.
The notice also said that Doniger incorrectly tells readers the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, saying a judicial commission had exonerated the RSS of any complicity in Gandhi's murder. Gandhi , India's 'Father of the Nation' was shot dead in 1948 by a former member of the organisation.
In a separate incident last week, Hindu hardliners burned copies of an Indian magazine because of a story quoting a Hindu nationalist leader saying that Mohan Bhagwat, who leads the RSS, had sanctioned deadly attacks on Muslims. The RSS has denied the allegations against Bhagwat.
A complaint about The Hindus: An Alternative History by Professor Wendy Doniger, a US academic, was filed by seven petitioners after the book's publication in 2011. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
Penguin Books India has agreed to withdraw from sale all copies of a book that takes an unorthodox view of Hinduism, and will pulp them as part of a settlement after a case was filed against the publisher.
The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger, a professor at the University of Chicago's divinity school, was published in India in 2011. Its depiction of the religion drew criticism from conservative Hindus and scholars.
Penguin agreed on Monday in the district court in Delhi to recall the book, according to the petitioners' lawyer, Monika Arora. What appeared to be a copy of the court agreement was available on the internet on Tuesday. A complaint was filed by seven petitioners in the court in 2011.
Penguin did not respond to requests for comment.
The lead petitioner's original complaint criticised the book for "heresies and factual inaccuracies" and claimed Doniger had a selective approach to writing about Hinduism.
"She denounced the Hindu gods and freedom fighters of India," said Arora.
A group headed by the lead petitioner has previously made complaints about subjects including sex education in schools and a magazine article about Hindu militancy.
The book's withdrawal caused anger on Twitter, rekindling a debate about freedom of speech in the world's largest democracy.
"The 'offended' prevail over freedom of speech. Surely gods [sic] too great to be so easily upset?" tweeted Meenakshi Ganguly, the south Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
It was not the first time a book has been banned in India. Salman Rushdie's 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which many Muslims deemed blasphemous, is proscribed due to its depiction of Islam.
The legal notice said Doniger was incorrect in describing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's largest Hindu nationalist organisation, as the militant wing of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the frontrunner in the national elections due to take place by May.
The notice also said that Doniger incorrectly tells readers the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, saying a judicial commission had exonerated the RSS of any complicity in Gandhi's murder. Gandhi , India's 'Father of the Nation' was shot dead in 1948 by a former member of the organisation.
In a separate incident last week, Hindu hardliners burned copies of an Indian magazine because of a story quoting a Hindu nationalist leader saying that Mohan Bhagwat, who leads the RSS, had sanctioned deadly attacks on Muslims. The RSS has denied the allegations against Bhagwat.
