Tamil Nadu orders inquiry after writer flags suspected AI books at Periyar library

Tamil writer Perumal Murugan has alleged that Coimbatore’s recently inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam library and science centre bought hundreds of fake, inaccurate and possibly AI-generated books at inflated prices. Tamil Nadu minister Rajmohan ordered an inquiry into the procurement, saying it had begun immediately and that those responsible would face action.

Murugan raised the claims after visiting the library and examining books, then publishing an article, “Periyar Arivulagathil Periya Oozhal,” on the Sindhai portal. He called for the disputed volumes to be removed from shelves while an investigation committee examined the alleged fraud.

The writer said nearly 1,800 titles supplied by Agalvilakku Pathippagam were in the collection. Rajmohan separately said about 1,500 books bearing the Akalvilakku Pathippagam imprint had been purchased in February. Murugan also identified more than 100 titles from Phoenix Pathippagam; he said some of their ISBNs could not be verified online and that the publisher listed only an email address as contact information.

The allegations concern both the contents and prices of the books. Murugan said some titles carried fictitious author names, inaccurate or incomplete information and suspected AI-generated material. An IAS officer familiar with the procurement process told The Hindu that the allegedly fake Tamil books appeared to have been AI-generated, while adding that English-language purchases also required checks to establish whether they were original or pirated editions.

Among the examples flagged was a book, Tamil Nadu Oru Paarvai, which identified Muthuvelu Subbaiah Iyer as the first Chief Minister or Premier of Tamil Nadu or Madras Province in 1947, and set out a succession from him to Mu. Ka. Ramasamy and then Kamaraj. Another volume described Naladiyar as a Tamil poet and philosopher, although Murugan said it is a collection of verses attributed to anonymous Jain monks.

Murugan also challenged a book’s attribution of Maduraikkanji to Madurai Koozhathip Peruvazhuthi rather than Mangudi Maruthanar. He said a Keezhadi book used a photograph of a Nandi statue as an excavation find; Rajmohan said it was a Google image of a 50-year-old statue and that no Nandi had been found at Keezhadi.

Pricing was a second focus. Murugan alleged that books worth about ₹300 were purchased for as much as ₹1,500. A roughly 300-page Naladiyar guide credited to Surya Balu was priced at ₹1,445, compared with about ₹350 for other Naladiyar publications, he said. India Today reported that Tamil books generally cost up to about ₹200, though that is a broader comparison rather than a price for the specific disputed titles.

The procurement was conducted outside the earlier Tamil Transparent Book Procurement Policy and Portal scheme, according to Kannan Sundaram. That system set flat rates for Tamil books by size rather than allowing publishers to set arbitrary prices. Orders for the Periyar Arivulagam collection were confirmed in January and February, he said; Rajmohan said a contract to buy books had been signed in January.

Murugan had served on a committee that recommended modern literature and literary-criticism books for the centre, but said he had not been told which recommendations were ultimately purchased. A government order dated Nov. 5, 2025, had formed a committee to recommend books for new libraries including Periyar Arivulagam.

The seven-storey centre, built at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore, was inaugurated on Oct. 16. Rajmohan said officials had been instructed to take particular care over books bought for libraries opened in the future.