The first iteration of this book, entitled Communalism and Sexual Violence: Ahmedabad since 1969, was published by India-based Orient BlackSwan in April 2014. Within days of its release, the book was withdrawn by the publisher citing fear of 'legal and violent reprisals by the Hindu Right against its authors, staff and offices'.

I publicly criticised the publisher's actions at the time, concerned by what appeared to be a form of self-censorship based on anticipated political reprisals. I articulated my position in this article in the Indian Express.

This episode generated significant media commentary within and beyond India. Notable coverage includes the following:

• The Hindu


• Indian Express


• Live Mint


• Time Magazine

The book has now been published without any political revisions by two intrepid academic publishers — one based in the United Kingdom and the other in India. The only notable changes in the new editions are updates on relevant events that have occurred since April 2014, such as the April-May 2014 parliamentary elections in India.