The Tamil Nadu government has announced an investigation into alleged irregularities in the purchase of books for the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore, after writer Perumal Murugan claimed that several publications supplied to the facility were produced under fictitious author names and carried false International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs).
The allegations were made in an article published by Perumal Murugan on the online platform Chindhai. He claimed that new publishing houses had been created specifically to supply books to the library and that some of the titles appeared to have been generated using artificial intelligence. According to the report, the author names listed on the books were fictitious and the ISBNs printed on them were allegedly false.
Perumal Murugan further alleged that some books contained incomplete or inaccurate information and had been priced at Rs 1,500 despite, in his assessment, having a value of less than Rs 300. He questioned who was behind the alleged supply of the books, where the money had gone and whether the procurement process involved political interests.
He called for immediate action against all those involved, a formal inquiry to bring the alleged irregularities before the public and the removal of the disputed books from the library shelves before the investigation was completed.
Tamil Nadu Minister Rajmohan said the government had begun examining the allegations and that those responsible would not be spared. He described the alleged irregularities as a major corruption case linked to the previous DMK administration and said legal action would be taken against those found responsible. The minister also cited a book on Keezhadi that allegedly used an image downloaded from Google while presenting it as material recovered from the archaeological site.
The allegations have emerged against the backdrop of a political dispute over the library’s construction and completion. The Periyar Arivulagam project was started in Coimbatore’s Gandhipuram during the previous DMK government at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The report said construction was completed after the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government came to power, and that Chief Minister Vijay inaugurated the library last month.
The project’s ownership and credit have also become politically contested. DMK president M.K. Stalin recently visited the library and said that 99 per cent of the work had been completed during his party’s tenure. Rajmohan, however, argued that the facility had been built with public money and accused the previous administration of responsibility for the alleged procurement irregularities.
The report listed several titles dealing with subjects including urban water management, highways, pollution, public safety, water law and public health. It also published a list of alleged authors and editors whose identities Perumal Murugan said were fictitious. The government’s announced investigation is expected to examine the procurement process, the publishers involved, the authenticity of the ISBNs and the financial transactions connected with the books.
