COIMBATORE: Two research scholars from Coimbatore have flagged issues over the authenticity of 257 books attributed to foreign authors and published by a UK-based publishing house at Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore.
Research scholars R Prem Kumar and S Satheesh Kumar have flagged discrepancies in the publisher's credentials, ISBN details and the content of the books, raising questions over their procurement for the library.
“Each book published by Vintage Press Limited with only around 300 pages was priced exorbitantly at Rs 9,000 to Rs 9,900. The collection reportedly includes books on tourism, science, chemistry, botany and research articles. The website address printed in the books was linked to another entity in the UK, while the ISBN numbers could not be traced in the relevant databases,” Prem Kumar said.
They also examined the website mentioned in the books and claimed that it contained no details of bank accounts or book prices. Their investigation allegedly revealed that the same website address had previously been used for selling T-shirts.
He said an analysis of the first 15 pages of a foreign book authored by Emily Lawson and titled Tourism: Principles, Practices and Philosophies, using plagiarism-detection software, indicated 64 per cent plagiarism and 70.72 per cent AI-generated content and information from several research papers had also been copied. “Photographs of foreign authors featured in several books also appeared to have been lifted from the internet,” he added.
The researchers estimated the total value of the 257 books at Rs 25 lakh. After accounting for a 30 per cent discount, they claimed that around Rs 16 lakh could be involved in the alleged irregularity.
The researchers have demanded a comprehensive examination of the library's entire collection, which comprises more than one lakh books, to establish whether all the publications were procured from genuine publishers or whether similar irregularities occurred in other purchases.
They also said they were examining a few more books and would disclose their findings after completing the exercise.
Meanwhile, officials have launched inspections across public libraries in Coimbatore district and other parts of western Tamil Nadu to identify books with fabricated credentials and AI-generated content. In Coimbatore, teams have begun checking the collections of 195 libraries.
At Periyar Arivulagam, around 1,700 books, valued at approximately Rs 18 lakh, have been removed in the latest exercise on Wednesday. Earlier, around 2,000 books published by Agal Vilakku Publications were withdrawn from the library.
In neighbouring districts, 779 books valued at around Rs 1.85 lakh have been removed from libraries in Namakkal, while 1,120 books worth Rs 2.31 lakh have been seized in Krishnagiri. The numbers in Dharmapuri and Salem stand at 1,725 books valued at Rs 3.32 lakh and 1,700 books worth around Rs 2.5 lakh, respectively.
The scrutiny follows the controversy over the quality and authenticity of books procured for the Rs 300-crore Periyar Arivulagam. The issue broke out after Tamil writer Perumal Murugan questioned the literary and academic merit of several titles stocked at the library. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has also conducted an inquiry into the procurement process.