Between Memory and Forgetting
Harsh Mander's unflinching account traces the 2002 Gujarat violence, a watershed moment of communal brutality that would reshape India's political trajectory. What makes this work particularly striking is its unflinching examination of the interval between massacre and power, the years when a state leader ascended to the nation's highest office whilst questions of accountability hung unanswered in the air. The author poses uncomfortable queries: Did culpability ever weigh on the conscience of those in charge? More pointedly, did the affected communities receive any semblance of redress or closure? Mander constructs a damning analysis of governance failures during this period, exposing not only how survivors were left stranded without reconciliation or proper legal recourse, but also documenting a troubling pattern of killings beyond the law's reach. The deaths of Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin Sheikh emerge as emblematic of this darker chapter. What lifts this beyond a catalogue of wrongs is Mander's closing focus on defiance. He documents those who stood against such injustice, whether from within institutions or from civil society ranks, offering glimpses of moral fortitude amid systemic failure. A sobering, necessary read.
- Author: Harsh Mander
- Publisher: Yoda Press
- Genre: Social Sciences
- ISBN: 978-9382579731
- Pages: 318 pages