Truth stranger than fiction

The truth is stranger than fiction, goes the adage. An IRS officer chooses to pen the story of his friend, a soldier of Rashtriya Rifles after he is thoroughly convinced that it is life and death for the Indian Army in fighting the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sanjay Bahadur, commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai, chronicles the struggle of the Rashtriya Rifles in containing the insurgency in the Islam militants-infested state of J&K. One may claim that certain parts of the narration sound exaggerated but throughout the thriller, ‘Bite of the Black Dogs’, we never doubt the sincerity of our armed forces in tackling the insurgency.

It all starts on July 17, 1997, when a Hizbul Mujahideen sympathiser is caught by the protagonist, Major Vyom Pokhriyal of 31 Rashtriya Rifles, also known as Veep, the former spills beans during interrogation. The information leads to various incidents throughout the country and a larger picture emerges.

Various agencies plunge into action. The investigation reveals a major action planned by the insurgents to attack various parts of India, and pump Rs 50 lakh counterfeit currency into the economic system through intermediaries to cripple the Indian economy. The Special Forces, who are nicknamed by the insurgents as “Kaale Kuttein” or Black Dogs, with information on hand, launch operation to hunt the militants.

The timing is perfect to keep the right people in wrong place. The members of UN Military Observation Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) steps into the scene and caught in the crossfire.

The two members including a woman and other being a CIA agent are kidnapped. The British woman officer, Judy Brooke, who has been sceptical of the Indian armed forces operations, is finally convinced when she faces the brutality of the terrorists.

The author narrates the story in such a way, weaving various incidents, which are all interconnected that the reader at times is surprised at how all the isolated incidents are brought together and ultimately the evil designs of the handlers of the terrorists are exposed.

Though it is the firsthand experience of the soldiers participated in the operation to connect all the dots and finally track down the terrorists, the reader wonders at times whether it is all true. The hot pursuit of the Black Dogs to nab the militants forms the nail-biting grand finale though the reader wonders that the climax is a little bit dramatised.

On the whole, it is an unputdownable crime thriller. Every member of all law-enforcement agencies must read this book to get inspiration.

By: MV Syam Sundar