The servers of Garuda Prakashan crashed within an hour on Sunday evening after it confirmed taking over the publication of the book 'Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story'. Following the withdrawal of the book 'Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story' by the publication giant Bloomsbury, Garuda Prakashan stepped in to publish the book.
Taking to Twitter, Garuda Prakashan wrote: "DUE TO OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FOR "DELHI RIOTS-2020: THE UNTOLD STORY", readers may be experiencing issues. YOU CAN STILL PLACE YOUR ORDERS AT OUR WhatsApp No.: +91-7565800228; or write to us at adm@garudabooks.com. Our team will help out!"
The publication house had to open an alternate channel to accommodate the advanced bookings for the book after seeing the overwhelming response.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga claimed that Garuda Prakashan sold over 10,000 copies within less than an hour.
Garuda Prakashan, which claims to promote "indic narrative", said the book is expected to hit the stands within 15 days. Bloomsbury India on Saturday announced that it will not publish the book after there was outrage over a virtual pre-publication launch, which it said was being organised without its knowledge.
The publishing house faced massive backlash online on Friday after an advertisement of the book launch on Saturday with BJP leader Kapil Mishra as a guest of honour did the rounds on social media.
There have been allegations that several leaders including Mishra made inflammatory speeches targeting anti-citizenship law protesters before the violence broke out in Northeast Delhi on February 23. Bloomsbury India issued a statement saying it strongly supports freedom of speech but also has a deep sense of responsibility towards society.
The authors -- advocate Monika Arora and Delhi University teachers Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra -- have thanked Garuda Prakashan for agreeing to publish the book and supporting freedom of expression.
