Penguin Random House India declined to distribute Joe Sacco’s graphic book The Once and Future Riot, citing an inaccurate map of India and other content-related concerns.
He said he was asked to remove his conclusion that Hindu nationalism was “firing on all cylinders” because it was considered “inflammatory” and likely to cause “religious offence”, but he refused to make any changes and stood by his reporting.
The cartoon journalist said the book’s themes about electoral violence and weakening democratic values extend beyond India and are relevant to democracies across the world.
MALTESE-AMERICAN CARTOONIST AND JOURNALIST Joe Sacco, who pioneered the cartoon journalism genre, has been facing hurdles in publishing his new book in India. Sacco, who is famous for his on-ground reporting and detailed comic illustrations focusing on Palestine, Gaza and the Balkans, had a problem with Penguin Random House India as his book The Once and Future Riot was pulled from the Indian market.
The 135-page graphic book examines the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh, which killed 62 people and displaced more than 50,000 people, most of whom were from the Muslim community. The book was published in 2025 and explores the political mechanics and tensions in the region and has already been published in the UK, US and elsewhere.
As per The Indian Express reports, the book was expected to arrive in India around August and September 2026, but Gaurav Shrinagesh, the CEO of Penguin Random House India, said the content raised concerns. During pre-checks, Penguin Random House India red-flagged the title. The organisation cited concerns over the content, calling for legal and editorial scrutiny, and hence decided not to distribute it in India.
Speaking to The Indian Express, PRH India CEO Gaurav Shrinagesh said the company had raised concerns after reviewing the book. "We had highlighted certain things on the Joe Sacco title but they (Penguin UK) did not get back to us." He added that one problem was the map in the book, which showed inaccurate boundaries of India. “Besides that, we had raised some content questions and asked for citations which never came,” he said.
However, these were the queries that the CEO mentioned and there is no clarity over any additional content concerns beyond the map issue. While the book was not officially published in India, there are some online sources that provide copies from UK-based sellers, and some Delhi bookstores also offer imported copies.
Sacco visited Muzaffarnagar in 2014, about a year after the riots. He interviewed victims, politicians, officials, village chiefs and residents from both communities to understand how the violence unfolded. According to Sacco, the book is not just about one riot but about how violence can be used for political purposes. At first, Sacco did not respond to Penguin Random House's decision, but two weeks later he responded to ThePrint, refuting claims of red flags in the writing.
He replied to ThePrint through email and said that "I was told to remove a conclusion I made that Hindu nationalistic priorities are on the ascendant, that Hindu nationalism is 'firing on all cylinders' as I put it. The publisher considered this statement as 'inflammatory' and likely to create 'religious offence'." Sacco said he refused to change the passage.
He said that "I don't think that even a Hindu nationalist would disagree that the Hindu nationalist agenda is being advanced in India." He said that he refused to make the change because the conclusion he made was based on his own reporting after speaking to different people and said that “I stand by them.” He also denied reports that several publishers were competing to publish the book in India. "The goal is to get the book into the hands of Indian readers so they can judge it for themselves. We will try to keep the price down to make it as accessible as possible."
Sacco says the themes explored in the book are relevant not only to India but also to democracies around the world. He said that "The use of violence within the framework of electoral politics is one of the themes of the book." Sacco said that the issues explored in the book are not limited to India. He observed that similar concerns about the weakening of democratic values can also be seen in the United States and parts of Western Europe, and said the book encourages people to reflect on how societies have changed and whether they still aspire to uphold democracy.
[Edited by Harsh Pandey]
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