NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Freedom of expression is under threat in India, publisher Penguin Books India said yesterday, adding that it had little choice but to withdraw from sale a controversial book on Hinduism by a U.S. academic.
Penguin agreed in a Delhi court this week to recall all copies of the book and pulp them. The move triggered anger on social media and from writers and academics, rekindling a debate on freedom of speech in the world’s largest democracy.
The withdrawal comes just months ahead of a national election that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a conservative Hindu nationalist party, is tipped to win.
“We believe that the Indian Penal Code … will make it increasingly difficult for any Indian publisher to uphold international standards of free expression without deliberately placing itself outside the law,” Penguin said in a statement.
The book, “The Hindus: An Alternative History” by Wendy Doniger, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School, takes an unorthodox view of Hinduism, which drew criticism from conservative Hindus and some scholars.
Penguin said it believed in every individual’s right to freedom of thought and expression, but a publishing company must respect the laws of the land “however intolerant and restrictive those laws may be”.
It added that it also had a duty to protect its employees against threats and harassment, suggesting it feared violence as well as legal challenges.
