While publishing house Bloomsbury succumbed to the pressures of the left-liberals to withdraw publishing a book titled ‘Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story’, the same publishing house has published and promoting a book glorifying ant-CAA protests written by someone who believes that Delhi riots prime accused Tahir Hussain is innocent.
Bloomsbury India has published book titled “Shaheen Bagh: From a Protest to a Movement” written by Ziya Us Salam and Uzma Ausaf. The book chronicles the Shaheen Bagh protests, the protest led by Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act last year, which had culminated in the Delhi riots in February this year. The women had kept a vital road blocked for months, demanding the withdrawal of the amendment. The two authors of the book were closely associated with the Shaheen Bagh protests, and the book argues that the protests were an important event in India’s history.
The glorifies the anti-CAA protests which had sparked riots across the country from November to February, calling it “a modern-day Gandhian movement for equal rights for all citizens”. The protests were not Gandhian, as it was marked by frequent violence in several states ending with the Delhi riots, and it has nothing to do with equal rights for citizens as CAA is not even applicable for citizens.
APP leader Tahir Hussain has emerged as the mastermind behind the Delhi anti-Hindu riots that took between 23rd to 27th February this year. Just after the riots, videos had emerged showing the Muslim mob using the roof his building to attack Hindus. He was also seen directing the rioters, and after the riots, acid, fuel, stones, petrol bombs etc things used during the riots were found in his house.
But Ziya Ul Salam, writer of the book published by Bloomsbury had declared on 28th February that Tahir Hussain is innocent. He also claimed that mob had looted and destroyed his house in his absence. By that time, Tahir Hussain was already found to one of the masterminds behind the riots. Moreover, the family of IB officer Ankit Sharma, killed by Muslim rioters, had already alleged that Tahir Hussain was behind the murder, and named him in the FIR.
Subsequently, Delhi police have filed several charge sheets in the Delhi riots case, and Tahir Hussain has been named as the key conspirator behind the riots. The charge sheet also includes his confession, where he has narrated how he had planned and arranged for the riots. The charge sheet in the Ankit Sharma case also names him.
Ziya Ul Salam also claims that there were no riots in Delhi, and it was just planned attack on Muslims and their places of worship. He had claimed this despite the fact that Hindus were primary victims of the riots, while Muslims were also targeted in retaliatory attacks by Hindus. The police charge sheets make it clear that the riots were indeed planned as claimed by Ziya Ul Salam, but it was planned by Muslims to create a big noise internationally during the India visit of President Trump.
While the book by Ziya Us Salam and Uzma Ausaf was published by Bloomsbury in July, they chose to promote the book today. They posted a tweet on Twitter today promoting the book, glorifying the Shaheen Bagh protests.
This came in sharp contrast of their decision to withdraw the book ‘Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story’ authored by Monika Arora, Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra. The book, which is a factual account based on investigation and interviews conducted by the authors, was to be released in September. They withdrew the book even as the authors were attending event via video conference to launch the book.
After the book was announced, it was targeted left-liberals, which was intensified after it was announced that it was going to be launched today in the presence of BJP Kapil Mishra, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and OpIndia editor Nupur Sharma.
By withdrawing the book narrating the truth of Delhi riots while promoting the book by Ziya Us Salam and Uzma Ausaf that defends the main accused in the riots, Bloomsbury has clearly taken a side in the debate.
