Is India Entering a Period of Darkness?

In a sorry spectacle of book burning and book banning, the Shiv Sena nationalist party, according to an author, has followed its familiar, tediously predictable script of threats that the Indian city of Mumbai has endured since the organization's founding in 1966.

Mumbai University banned celebrated Indian-born author Rohinton Mistry's book Such a Long Journey after Shiv Sena staged protests against its "derogratory" references to party members.

BBC reported that the Indian state of Maharashtra's Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said he too felt that the language of the book was offensive. Chavan - like many other politicians who have spoken on the issue - said that he had not read the book in its entirety.

Meanwhile in Indonesia, the government has revoked a book-ban law from the days of Suharto's dictatorship. The lifting of the ban is considered a landmark decision because publication or distribution of books can no longer be prohibited under Indonesia's Constitutional Court.

While Indonesia is on the path to leaving its Suharto days behind, India seems to be entering a period of darkness. Do you agree?