The Tamil Nadu library book scam investigation widened after Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption officials searched the E.V.R. Arivulagam Library in Coimbatore and questioned officials about books purchased for its Tamil-language collection, according to a report by Dinamalar. The inquiry follows allegations of irregularities involving books linked to the Akal Vilakku and Phoenix publishers.
The inspection was conducted under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police Immanuel Dhanasekaran. Investigators examined the fourth floor, where Tamil publishing titles are kept, and sought details on the origin of the books, the publishers from whom they were obtained and the quantities recorded in the library’s accounts.
The report said officers compared the number of books shown as purchased with the actual stock available at the library. They also sought information about senior officials and politicians who allegedly recommended the purchase of books at the centre of the dispute. Investigators later questioned officials in the library’s administrative office on the third floor.
The search and questioning continued for about four hours and ended at 3.15 pm, Dinamalar reported. Important documents were reportedly seized during the operation. The supplied report does not specify the documents taken or whether arrests, formal charges or a completed audit have followed.
School Education Minister Rajmohan said the government would not allow those responsible for irregularities in library procurement to escape accountability. He described the alleged irregularities as a major scam and said action against the owner of Akal Vilakku Publishers would be taken in a manner that could not be avoided through legal loopholes. These statements are allegations and assurances by the minister; the investigation’s findings have not yet been established in the supplied report.
The minister also said that 523 suspected fake books had been seized at Chennai’s Connemara Public Library. He referred to a research book kept at the Kalaignar Library in Madurai whose named author, according to the minister, denied writing it. The report did not provide independent documentation for those claims or details of the seizure process.
The dispute has triggered competing allegations involving the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The School Education Department has filed a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, and the DMK has also submitted a complaint, according to Dinamalar.
The minister said no books had been purchased under the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government and that books currently held in Tamil Nadu libraries were procured during the previous administration. He added that a committee would be formed to decide which new books should be purchased in December. The committee’s composition, procurement criteria and proposed safeguards were not specified in the report.
The Coimbatore investigation now moves the dispute from political allegations into an official examination of procurement records, physical stock and administrative approvals. Further conclusions will depend on the documents collected and the findings of the vigilance inquiry.
