The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026, one of the top cultural events in India which takes place every year at Bharat Mandapam and is organized by the National Book Trust, turned to be a big chaos on its last day when the announcement of free books caused an influx of people who wanted to grab the books. The way of the attendees at the already crowded stalls snatching books off the shelves and even climbing the racks to get copies was captured in videos that spread widely on social media, thus leading to many people calling the situation chaotic and comparing it to a free for all rather than a book fair. The online users reacted in a very negative way, with many of them pointing out the lack of public manners the incident showed in the midst of what was supposed to be a celebration of reading and literature.
What Happened Here? Watch The Viral Video
Witnesses’ videos that have been shared online show that the chaos started after the last day of the event when some of the stallholders were giving away their books for free. The crowd was pulling in and getting out of control in certain places as the news of the giveaways reached them, and people were pushing and shoving in getting to the books at high places without caring for taking turns or keeping silence. A video that got many shares showed a man standing on the top of others and trying to take books from the highest shelf while the ones below him were quickly snatching the titles and packing them. The outrages made people on X, a social media platform, to criticize the behavior, and likened it to moral downfall. They also asked what good would it do to visit a book fair if all it is about is free things rather than the interaction of the reader with the reading itself.
Again we have shown our lack of civic sense and indiscipline in public like we do daily in different places.
This video is from the last day of the World Book Fair, Delhi pic.twitter.com/ETBmIkNEwP
— Dev Mishra (@devvmishra_) January 20, 2026
Responses On Social Media
The responses on social media were a mix of outrage and disappointment with many saying that the event had turned into a chaotic scramble more like a market than a great intellectual festival celebrating books. Some internet users expressed their sadness that people seemed to be more interested in taking books as possessions rather than using them as learning tools, which they considered to be a major public behavior problem at large scale events. Although the fair overall had a larger crowd and everyone participated in the nine days of its run, these last moments showed up the difficulties in managing the crowd and the unpacked consequences of promotions in public places at large gatherings.
