Multiple award winning Investigative journalists Adrian Levy
and Cathy Scott have put together this detailed book on what exactly happened
on that eventful night what we popularly call as 26/11 , the attack on Mumbai.
A lot of research and time has gone while writing this book, the
authors have met with various people associated with this incident, traveled
far and wide, met numerous government, police and Investigative authorities in India and Pakistan and have tried their best to present an accurate account of what happened on this fateful day that bought
Mumbai to a halt, all though they themselves claim that there may be many contradictions
in what people they met have said and what some other books on the same subject
may have written.
Quite a few chapters have been dedicated to create the
background of how this Operation was planned, the early days of getting David Headley on board how he ( original
name Daood Gilani double agent working for ISI and FBI) was inducted into this operation, the details
of his stay in Mumbai and his multiple visits to the Taj Palace to get an idea
of the layout etc etc have been detailed out well.
The authors have also met multiple Lashkar leaders to understand how their organization works and what kind of relationship they have with the ISI ( Intelligence unit of Pakistan) .A lot of ground work has been done to understand how the 10 Lashkar attackers ( Fidayeen) who came to India had been selected for this Operation Bombay, what kind of training schedule was followed, how the religious indoctrination took place, the physical training that one needs to undergo in these training camps in remote north west Pakistan, the technology training that they undergo( learning to use GPS devices, Internet Phones ) and Marine training that they underwent ( as the plot was to enter mainland India via a Boat from Karachi to Mumbai) .At the end of it all ) was a graduation ceremony where the gift was a Matchbox, a goat and a Knife ( things most needed to survive in case of any eventuality)
The authors have also met multiple Lashkar leaders to understand how their organization works and what kind of relationship they have with the ISI ( Intelligence unit of Pakistan) .A lot of ground work has been done to understand how the 10 Lashkar attackers ( Fidayeen) who came to India had been selected for this Operation Bombay, what kind of training schedule was followed, how the religious indoctrination took place, the physical training that one needs to undergo in these training camps in remote north west Pakistan, the technology training that they undergo( learning to use GPS devices, Internet Phones ) and Marine training that they underwent ( as the plot was to enter mainland India via a Boat from Karachi to Mumbai) .At the end of it all ) was a graduation ceremony where the gift was a Matchbox, a goat and a Knife ( things most needed to survive in case of any eventuality)
A minute by minute details of what all happened from the
time they left Karachi, how they captured an Indian boat as they approached Mumbai
and killed it Captain and used it to enter mainland India through Mumbai. All the
strategies that they had rehearsed , the team formation, the locations that
they will start attacking( Taj Palace and Towers, Trident-Oberoi, CST and Chabad House) are
written in such detail that one can imagine oneself in such a situation) .
The main focus however remains on what happened in the Taj Hotel ( Pride of the Tata Empire) , the manner in which the gang of four entered this lowly guarded five star entertainment hub and how within a few minutes took over the entire hotel , leaving the various occupants and employees of the hotel in complete disarray.
The authors have spoken to many survivors of the attack and
taken their accounts of what it was like to spend time ( some spent almost 36
hours ) while these terrorists were going one floor after another and one room
after another recklessly spraying bullets and killing many of them .The various
employees of the Hotel and a few guests in the hotel from India and Abroad who were present there
some of whom had shown tremendous bravery to remain till the end and help
others is something we readers should really appreciate.
A lot has been said about our system and its under preparedness and the red tape associated in the decision making (like time taken for NSG to arrive, the equipment used by the Police etc etc )
A good weekend read but will make you angry and sad at the
same time, angry about the fact that more than 150 innocent people lost their life and sad about our under preparedness
to handle such situations and attacks
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