1,800 Books Removed from Periyar Arivulagam Library Amid Alleged Procurement Irregularities and Factual Inaccuracies

Coimbatore: Around 1,800 books have been removed from the shelves of the newly inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam Library and Science Centre in Coimbatore following allegations of irregularities in their procurement, questionable authorship and factual inaccuracies. The books, reportedly belonging to Agal Vilakku Pathippagam and Phoenix Pathippagam, have been packed and kept away from public access pending further examination.

The library, located in Gandhipuram, was inaugurated by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on October 16, 2026. Built at a cost of approximately Rs 301.71 crore, the eight-storey facility has a built-up area of 1.98 lakh sq. ft. and is spread across nearly seven acres. It houses library sections, a digital library, a science centre, a planetarium, a children's library and facilities for competitive examination aspirants, among others. The project was conceived and initiated during the previous DMK government, with its foundation stone laid by then Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on November 6, 2024.

The controversy gained momentum after writer Perumal Murugan raised concerns over the books stocked in the library. He reportedly identified nearly 1,800 Tamil titles bearing the Agal Vilakku imprint and more than 100 books from Phoenix Publishing House. He questioned the publishers' credentials, the authorship of several titles, the validity of their ISBNs and their pricing. He also flagged factual and historical inaccuracies and raised concerns that some books may have been generated using artificial intelligence.

Among the examples he cited was a book titled Tamil Nadu: An Overview, which reportedly identified Muthuvelu Subbaiah Iyer as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1947, an apparent historical inaccuracy. He also questioned the attribution of literary works and references to archaeological findings in some publications.

Following his observations, the issue triggered widespread debate among writers, researchers and political organisations, with calls for an independent inquiry into the procurement process and action against those responsible if irregularities were established.

The controversy has also extended to the Kalaignar Centenary Library, where Tamil research scholars Premkumar and Sathish reportedly raised concerns over the procurement of English books, including alleged inconsistencies in ISBN details, questionable author identities and suspected AI-generated content. They are said to have submitted documents to the School Education Minister seeking an inquiry.

The issue has since escalated into a political dispute between the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the opposition DMK. Chief Minister Vijay and School Education Minister A. Rajmohan have questioned the procurement carried out during the previous DMK regime. The DMK, in turn, has questioned the timeline of the purchases and sought transparency in the process, pointing to the dates printed on some of the books.

On November 7, Minister Rajmohan lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) over the alleged irregularities. The government has also indicated that book procurement for other public libraries in the State would be scrutinised.

The books removed from Periyar Arivulagam have been kept away from readers pending scrutiny. Their removal should not be taken as confirmation that all the titles are fake or that the alleged irregularities have been established. The allegations concerning the books, publishers and procurement process remain subject to investigation, and the findings of the inquiry will determine whether any violations occurred and who was responsible.