Gujarat Behind The Curtain

The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the 2002 violence in Gujarat in the aftermath of the brutal killing of 59 karsevaks aboard Sabarmati Express, and the subsequent subversion of the criminal justice system has tarnished the image of Gujarat and put a question mark over its commitment to the Rule of Law. Unlike terror attacks and explosions, no communal riot can go on for days unless authorities fail to implement Standard Operating Procedure to control and contain violence and normalise public order. High-voltage mass violence was reported from 11 of 30 administrative police units of Gujarat. // This book documents the author's experience as a senior police officer in the state during the 2002 communal holocaust. He provides substantial evidence against the planners and the perpetrators of the violence. Based on the author's Situational Assessment Reports, the Central Election Commission refused to accept the State Assembly Election Schedule proposed by the State government after the premature dissolution of the Assembly in August 2002. // He throws light on the soul-less secularism of the Indian National Congress, betraying opportunistic communalism, by appeasement of minority and majority communalism simultaneously. AG Noorani wrote in Frontline: An important addition to the documentation of the 2002 pogrom. The book deserves a wide readership. Humra Quraishi wrote in The Tribune: The book carries instances potent enough to nail big names on the political and bureaucratic circuit of the day.