Authors, writers' groups denounce withdrawal of Doniger book
February 15, 2014  15:19
Denouncing Penguin's decision to withdraw US scholar Wendy Doniger's book, authors and activists today said it is a campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a chauvinistic and communal presentation of history and culture.

In a statement today, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust said the "surrender" of the publisher in an out-of-court settlement, which involves the withdrawal of Doniger's book 'The Hindus: An Alternative History' and the pulping of its copies, has rightly "aroused much disquiet."

The statement has been signed by Irfan Habib, C P Chandrasekhar, Mridula Mukherjee, M K Raina, Ram Rahman, Jayati Ghosh, Zoya Hasan among others. "The event has, however, a still more sinister aspect. It is, clearly an early salvo in the renewed campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a full-fledged chauvinistic and communal presentation of our history and culture with no quarter allowed to dissenting voices," the Sahmat statement said.
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