An anti-corruption police team has begun investigating the alleged presence of fake books at the E.V.R. Knowledge Centre in Coimbatore, after 1,800 books were removed from the library and placed in secure storage, according to a report by Dinamalar – Tamil Nadu published on November 10, 2026.
The four-member team examined the fourth floor of the facility, where books from Tamil publishers are kept. Investigators sought details about where the books had been procured, which titles were involved and which publishing houses had supplied them, the report said.
The investigation follows the discovery of allegedly fake books at the Coimbatore library. The report did not specify how the books were identified as fake or whether the term referred to counterfeit editions, unauthorised reproductions or discrepancies in procurement records. It also did not report any arrests, charges or official findings from the inquiry.
The issue has expanded beyond one library. Similar allegedly fake books were reportedly found at the Connemara Public Library in Chennai, while inquiries are also under way into the authenticity of books held in libraries in other cities across Tamil Nadu.
The developments have triggered competing political allegations. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which was previously in government, and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, described in the report as being in power, have exchanged accusations over the matter. The Tamil Nadu government and the DMK have also reportedly sent complaints to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
For public libraries, the inquiry puts procurement records and collection management under scrutiny. Books acquired with public funds pass through multiple stages, including supplier selection, title identification, delivery and cataloguing. The police questions reported at the Coimbatore facility focus on this chain rather than only on the physical presence of disputed books.
The removal of 1,800 books also creates an immediate operational question for the library: whether the titles will remain unavailable while the investigation continues and how their status will be determined. The supplied report does not state whether replacement books have been ordered, whether readers were affected or whether an audit of the wider collection has been completed.
The anti-corruption team’s inquiry at the fourth-floor collection is the latest reported step. Further clarity will depend on the records examined by investigators, the identification of the publishers and books involved, and any formal findings or action announced by the authorities.
