DC Books publishes Malayalam novel 'Meesha'

Less than two weeks after Malayalam weekly, Mathrubhumi, withdrew writer S Hareesh's serialised novel, another publication, DC Books, has published the same.

Mathrubhumi retracted the serialised novel 'Meesha' after allegations of hurting religious statements surfaced, with regards to a specific paragraph of the book.

Hareesh had to subsequently withdraw his serialised novel from Mathrubhumi weekly, after protests by Hindutva outfits and social media outrage over the content.

However, the novel has now been published by DC Books, with copies being circulated in the market.

"We have always been with writers and readers. If we do not publish 'Meesha' now, we may reach a situation where we can longer publish a story or a novel," DC Books said in a statement.

According to media reports, 'Meesha' is the first novel by Hareesh, who is known for his short stories.