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Copies of banned book Valmiki Yaaru (Who is Valmiki?), written by K.S. Narayanacharya, were seized from Sapna Book House by the Upparpete police, who also booked cases against the owners on Thursday.

Police action followed a complaint by Dr. Suresh, a lecturer in a college in Tumakuru, who purchased the book in the outlet at Gandhi Nagar and handed over the receipt and the book to Upparpete police, who registered a complaint. The raid yielded 45 copies of the banned book, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Labhu Ram said.

"We have taken up a case of against the shop owner and the author under Sections 153(a) and 295(a) of IPC,” he added.

Sapna Book House owner Nitin Shah said: "We are not the publishers of the book in question. It is published by Sahitya Prakashana of Hubli. We are only a retail seller. Neither the State government nor the publisher has conveyed to us that the book is banned. If the book is banned, how is it that the publisher sold copies of the book to us? We will fight the case legally."

Why the ban

Valmiki Yaaru was banned on the grounds that it contained material hurting the sentiments of a community. It created controversy and the Legislative Council witnessed an uproar in July when members objected to the author’s claim that Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, was not born into the Beda community, but was a Brahmin by birth.

MLC V.S. Ugrappa raised the issue and members, cutting across party lines, demanded that the book be banned and criminal charges be booked against the author on charges that Mr. Narayanacharya had “hijacked” the icon of a community and created a divide in society. They also said that it amounted to “misuse of the freedom of expression”. Following this, the Minister for Women and Child Welfare Umashree announced a ban on the book.