Books stocked at Coimbatore’s Rs 300-crore Periyar Arivulagam have come under scrutiny after Tamil writer Perumal Murugan flagged alleged factual errors, questionable authorship, unusually high prices and possible irregularities in the library’s procurement process. The state government has said an inquiry has begun.
Murugan said he found around 1,800 books published by Agal Vilakku Pathippagam in the Tamil section on the library’s fourth floor. He questioned the authenticity of the listed authors, the prices of several titles and the validity of the ISBN numbers printed on the books.
One title he cited was Naladiyar Vazhvin Vazhikatti, credited to Surya Balu. The 300-page book is priced at Rs 1,445, while Murugan said comparable books generally cost about Rs 350. He also pointed to an error in its description of Naladiyar, which the book identifies as a Tamil poet and philosopher. Naladiyar is traditionally understood as a collection of 400 verses attributed to Jain ascetics.
Another book, Tamil Nadu Oru Paarvai, credited to Dhanalakshmi Arjun, reportedly identifies Muthuvelu Subbaiah Iyer as Tamil Nadu’s chief minister in 1947. Murugan also raised concerns about more than 100 books published by Phoenix Pathippagam.
The report said Agal Vilakku Pathippagam and Phoenix Pathippagam share the same address. Several books also carry seals dated June, details that Murugan cited while questioning how the publications were selected and procured for the library.
School Education Minister A Rajmohan criticised the inaccuracies and alleged corruption in the procurement process under the previous DMK government. The minister said procurement began in November 2025 and that the purchase committee met on January 24, 2026.
The controversy places the procurement of books for a publicly funded library under institutional scrutiny, particularly because the concerns involve content accuracy, authorship, pricing and publication records rather than a single disputed title. The supplied report does not establish whether the alleged errors or procurement irregularities have been independently confirmed.
Rajmohan said an inquiry had begun and that those found guilty would be brought to justice. Further action will depend on the findings of that inquiry.
