Indiaclub.com Description

Drawing on his experiences in Punjab as director general of police from 3 July 1984—within weeks of Operation Blue Star—to 22 August 1985, Kirpal Dhillon writes about the phase of militancy in the state as not just a law and order problem but a question of Sikh nationalism, of a minority under threat. This is an insider's view of the factors that bedeviled Punjab for close to two decades. Coming from a man who witnessed the drama first-hand and analysed its historical causes, this book is a valuable addition to literature on the Sikh community's darkest years—a phase that is not necessarily over

REVIEWS:

Kirpal Dhillon makes a significant contribution in this excellent treatise on the historical dimensions of Sikh militancy in India. Combining the experience of a police practitioner with the diligence of a first-rate scholar, this is one of the more important books on the Sikh insurgency from the perspective of both sides of the conflict.
-Dr Richard H Ward, Director, Institute for the Study of Violent Groups

Kirpal Dhillon's first-hand account is hugely insightful in the range of detailed information and personal experience which it brings to the subject. He offers a living document, much more than a memoir, and strongly evokes the issues, personalities and sense of danger at the time.
-David Washbrook, St Antony's College, Oxford