Oxford Press issues public apology over ‘unverified’ Shivaji remarks in 2003 book

Oxford University Press (India) has issued a public apology to Member of Parliament Udayanraje Bhosale, a 13th-generation descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, over objectionable and “unverified” statements published in a book released more than two decades ago.

In a public notice issued on Tuesday, the publisher acknowledged that certain references to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the English-language book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India were published without adequate verification. The book, authored by American historian James Laine, was released on February 13, 2003.

The notice specifically mentioned pages 31, 33, 34 and 93, stating that the content had hurt the sentiments of Shivaji Maharaj’s followers. Oxford University Press expressed regret and apologised to Udayanraje Bhosale and the public at large for the distress and anguish caused.

The book had also drawn criticism for carrying allegedly defamatory references to Rajmata Jijabai, the mother of Shivaji Maharaj. Its publication had sparked widespread protests across Maharashtra in 2004.

The controversy escalated in January 2004 when the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune was attacked by protesters who alleged that the institute had assisted the author. The apology, according to the notice, was issued on behalf of OUP’s former managing director, Sayeed Manzar Khan.