The fine print of violence

by Amit Sengupta, Civil Society, 01 Feb 2010

This is a review of a book "Mumbai Post 26/11" edited by Ram Puniyani and Shabnam Hashmi.

This compilation analyses the terror attacks on 26/11 in Mumbai from various angles, based on the understanding that deeper issues are hidden behind every such tragedy. It discusses terrorism, law, Indo-Pak relations and the deceptive role of the Indian State. Most of the chapters have been written in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai carnage and they tangentially and tangibly move around, before and after the complex patterns of terrorism and investigations.

The broad contours of the analysis include the killing of non-combatants, the political motive or the secret planning of such attacks where the actors are even willing or keen to lay down their lives for bringing about such devastation.