Book Review: Batla House by Karnal Singh

Batla House
Author: Karnal Singh
Publisher: Rupa Publishers
Rating: 4.5/5

What happened in 2008 would have remained a mystery or a half-baked truth had this book not come out in the public domain. Just like how Praveen Teotia wrote a heart-wrenching account of his deadly encounter with the terrorists in the Taj, Karnal Singh, the officer-in-charge of the raid in Flat no. 18, Batla House, pens down a spine chilling thriller that narrates the actual events that led to this encounter. Several lives were risked and blood was shed too. This event is still remembered for the political bigotry and the influence of the top organizations. Yet, in spite of so much that can instigate the readers, the author maintains an unprejudiced narrative that has the sole purpose of revealing the course of events on that fateful day.

Batla House is set a week after the serial bomb blasts shed blood of 30 innocent people. Post the blasts, a team of 7 police officers raided Flat no. 18 in an attempt to capture the terrorists who belonged to Indian Mujahideen (IM). What ensued after the encounter was a political rift, exchange of opinions that regarded the police’s actions as wrong and unrest in the rest of the country. Amidst the circulation of fake news and false rumours, the real agenda of fighting terrorism was lost. That’s the reason why the Batla House case is one of the most controversial cases in the history of India. Lucid writing and the taut plot make this an interesting book to read.

Precise, without and drab descriptions, Batla House is definitely worth a try because it is always a good decision to understand a situation from all the perspectives.

Best wishes to the author!

Buying link: Amazon