The 53rd New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) was recently held from January 10-18, 2026. The annual affair may not have grabbed as much attention throughout its more than a week-long dealings as jaw-dropping videos of the final day on social media.

In hopes of inculcating and promoting reading and learning, the Delhi Book Fair event promised free entry to all. However, the videos emerging from the scene have now triggered a debate around civic sense online. Turning the camera to absolute chaos and ruckus that broke out on the final day of this year’s book fair, now-viral clips showed books being looted from the Bloomsbury stall in the most disharmonious way possible.

Supposed viral ‘book loot’ videos catching event goers in the raucous act have been going around for the past few days, raising big questions about “moral sense” on the Internet. Fanning the fire by dropping the news about even more alleged instances that took place at the New Delhi book fair, an Indian author’s explosive confession on X made the hair stand up on the back of netizens’ neck yesterday.

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Multi-hyphenate writer Rahul Pandita was one of the many people to have watched the viral book fair video online. Re-posting one such post on Monday evening, the “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” author shared with his followers that his “publisher friends” had told him about even more concerning developments that took place at the event.

“Publisher friends tell me there have been so many cases of groping in busy stalls,” Pandita tweeted. “On the last day, a university student was caught stealing books worth 15,000 rupees. Many college girls (60-70 from one publisher’s stall alone) have been caught stealing books.”

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Some users couldn’t help but look back at other previous reports of shoplifting at similar events in the past. Years ago, a 2017 story by IANS had shed light on publishers facing the repercussions of their books being stolen. Coincidentally, this particular report also pertained to a book fair in Delhi.

Back then, a staffer from Penguin opened up about the stall facing more than 25 cases when they caught people for shoplifting, as per IANS. “We have our limited staff and looking after every visitor is not possible. Last year we had to face a loss of Rs.5 lakh,” he told the news outlet during the course of the 44th edition of the book fair at the Pragati Maidan in Delhi.

An even more surprising fact was that people were still somehow managing to slip away with stolen books despite Penguin installing a machine detector for the 2017 event.

In addition to refreshing old wounds, Rahul Pandita’s tweet also reminded multiple users of the much-popular lore about Baghdad’s Al-Mutanabbi Street where booksellers leave their collections out overnight. Despite the books being left unsupervised, they would still be found at their places the very next day.

Posts shared by the likes of the English Literature Society in the past attributed the absence of theft in such cases to a centuries-old saying: “The reader doesn’t steal, and the thief doesn’t read.”

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However, the 2026 Delhi Book Fair viral videos seem to be telling a different story altogether, tearing apart the essence of the lesson that those who love knowledge would never rob it.

Ahmed Khabeer, a Jamia Millia Islamia University student who is the founder at The Jamia Times, had previously shared the ‘Book Fair Chaos’ video on Instagram.

‘What was meant to be a celebratory close to the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 turned into a display of disorder after a publisher announced a book giveaway on the final day,” he captioned the IG reel.

“Attendees rushed the stall, grabbing and hoarding books, with little regard for queues or fellow visitors. Videos from the venue show scenes closer to a loot than a literary exchange. The episode lays bare a deeper contradiction, where cultural events are consumed as opportunities for extraction rather than engagement, and books are treated as trophies rather than objects to be read.”

More on the 2026 New Delhi World Book Fair

In light of its first-ever free entry initiative, the 53rd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair concluded with a 20% surge in footfall, accounting for a significantly 2-million-plus gathering. Organised by the National Book Trust, India, under the Ministry of Education, the nine-day Book Fair sought to enable participation from students, families and more.

Hoping to create a more inclusive space for learning, the event hosted over 1,000 publishers from 35+ countries and 600+ curated events, bringing in a thousand speakers.