Joe Sacco says six Indian publishers have approached him after India distribution plan for Muzaffarnagar graphic novel was dropped

Penguin Random House India has withdrawn from plans to distribute Joe Sacco's graphic novel reportage on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, according to the cartoonist-journalist. Sacco said that at least six Indian publishers have since contacted him about bringing out the book in India. The development centres on The Once and Future Riot, a 135-page illustrated account of the violence in western Uttar Pradesh.

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Sacco said the book had been expected to reach Indian shelves by August or September, but the distribution plan was halted after legal and editorial scrutiny. He said the publisher raised concerns about an inaccurate map of India's borders and about citations, while also seeking further changes to the text and presentation. The author said he had not provided citations because the book had already been fact-checked by his North American publisher.

The dispute has drawn attention because the book deals with the Muzaffarnagar communal riots, which left more than 60 people dead and about 40,000 displaced. Sacco said he was asked to alter quotations from people he interviewed, including a public figure, and to remove his conclusion that Hindu nationalism was "firing on all cylinders". He said he regarded the work as balanced and fair, and decided not to comply with what he described as onerous requirements.

The episode also highlights the sensitivities around publishing work on communal violence and political identity in India. Sacco is widely known for using comics journalism to report on conflicts and political crises, including in Palestine and Bosnia, and his work has been translated into 14 languages. The current dispute therefore goes beyond one title and touches on how publishers handle contested historical events, maps, quotations and political interpretation.

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The Muzaffarnagar riots remain a significant reference point in discussions of communal relations in Uttar Pradesh and beyond. The book's publication in 2025 and its planned Indian release this year had made it a closely watched case for readers, publishers and legal teams. Sacco's comments suggest there is still commercial interest in the title in India, even after the original distribution arrangement fell through.

What happens next is unclear, including which Indian publisher, if any, will take on the book and on what terms. It is also not clear whether the concerns raised during pre-check and legal scrutiny will be revisited in any new edition or distribution deal. For now, the immediate question is whether the book can be published in India without the changes that led to the breakdown in the first arrangement.

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