Chaos at New Delhi World Book Fair: Visitors Climb Shelves for 'Free' Novels, Sparking Outrage

• The New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam witnessed unprecedented chaos, with visitors climbing shelves and pushing to grab books.
• Viral videos showed young, educated individuals behaving disorderly, snatching books, and even stealing, raising concerns about civic sense.
• Publishers reported cases of groping and significant book theft, including a university student caught stealing books worth Rs 15,000.
• Critics on X (formerly Twitter) labeled the behavior a "moral collapse" and a "freeloading Olympics," suggesting a Rs 1,000 entry fee for future events.
• The chaos is attributed to the fair's free entry for the first time, leading to a 20% rise in visitors and over 2 million attendees.

Why It Matters: Free entry at the New Delhi World Book Fair led to chaos, theft, and a breakdown of civic sense among visitors.