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As Far As The Saffron Fields: The Pulwama Conspiracy
In March 2019, two militants were killed during a siege at a house in Nowgam, on the outskirts of Srinagar. One of them was known simply as 'Idrees Bhai'. The encounter was forgotten for the most part, until investigators came upon a mangled phone that had been destroyed by Idrees Bhai. When the Samsung smartphone began to reveal its secrets, investigators realized they had hit upon a motherlode. For, Idrees Bhai was none other than Umar Farooq Alvi, the mastermind of the Pulwama suicide attack of February 2019 which had killed forty CRPF personnel, the deadliest terror attack on Indian security forces since 1989.
Now, for the first time, serving IPS officer Danesh Rana meticulously pieces together the conspiracy behind the attack. Based upon personal interviews with the protagonists, police chargesheets and other evidence, Rana breaks down the modern face of militancy in Kashmir, fuelled by highly motivated young Kashmiris who have taken on the mantle of bringing down the Indian state.
This is the story of a state in conflict, told through the story of a single terror attack. Piecing together the stories of several actors - from Umar the boy-wonder insurgent to Insha, the love of his life; from Adil Dar, the man who rammed a van full of explosives into the CRPF bus to Head Constable Jaimal Singh, the driver of that ill-fated bus - As Far as the Saffron Fields is by far the most definitive book on the Pulwama attack, going where no book on the Kashmir conflict has gone before. This is war at its worst, tearing apart families and dreams, leaving only mangled bodies and phones behind.
Now, for the first time, serving IPS officer Danesh Rana meticulously pieces together the conspiracy behind the attack. Based upon personal interviews with the protagonists, police chargesheets and other evidence, Rana breaks down the modern face of militancy in Kashmir, fuelled by highly motivated young Kashmiris who have taken on the mantle of bringing down the Indian state.
This is the story of a state in conflict, told through the story of a single terror attack. Piecing together the stories of several actors - from Umar the boy-wonder insurgent to Insha, the love of his life; from Adil Dar, the man who rammed a van full of explosives into the CRPF bus to Head Constable Jaimal Singh, the driver of that ill-fated bus - As Far as the Saffron Fields is by far the most definitive book on the Pulwama attack, going where no book on the Kashmir conflict has gone before. This is war at its worst, tearing apart families and dreams, leaving only mangled bodies and phones behind.
- GenresNonfictionTerrorismIndia
387 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 16, 2022
The book starts off as a story – a bus of CRPF jawans making their way through the valleys of Kashmir, an entire procession, and a little background on every personnel on the bus. On the other hand, it shows the terrorists preparing for their operation, making their way across the border and hiding in the shadows. For a non-fiction, the book does have the storytelling style of a fiction book, but it is filled with hard facts.
The book is in no way a page turner, it is filled with a lot of facts and data. As we already know the basic outline of the story, the author has taken the liberty to focus more on the informational details.
On some level, the author has tried to humanize the story we have already heard of. He has shown the thinking process, the faint trails of fear, the determination – but these aren’t hard facts, as they cannot be confirmed. There is creative liberty to present perspectives to the story.
Overall, this is a book filled with hardcore details, and a very enjoyable read for people who like books that deal with history, politics etc.
The book is in no way a page turner, it is filled with a lot of facts and data. As we already know the basic outline of the story, the author has taken the liberty to focus more on the informational details.
On some level, the author has tried to humanize the story we have already heard of. He has shown the thinking process, the faint trails of fear, the determination – but these aren’t hard facts, as they cannot be confirmed. There is creative liberty to present perspectives to the story.
Overall, this is a book filled with hardcore details, and a very enjoyable read for people who like books that deal with history, politics etc.
April 2, 2022
During ,1947 Partition of India, Kashmir was handed over to the Indian provinces by the then ruler Kashmir. From that time, Kashmir has been a centre of conflict between India and Pakistan. Till 1980s, people with multiple religions lived in harmony. But then terrorism started scarring the once tranquil valley. Thus started the evident separatist insurgency movement throughout Jammu Kashmir, instigating the youth to take up arms and join the cause of Azadi (freedom) or Liberation of Kashmir. Frequent incidents of terrorism, target killing, forceful conversion, stone pelting on the security forces became a regular scene.
In the district of Pulwama, lies a small town Lethpora located on the banks of river Jhelum where one can get finest saffron (kesar). On 14 February 2019 afternoon this town saw the bloodiest terrorist attack in Kashmir, that was not only heard around the 10 km radius but the aftermath of which was unrecognisable. This suicide attack killed 40 CRPF personnel, injured 35. Grieving kins of the Army personnel received empty boxes wrapped in the tricolour. Such was the impact that blood, body parts along with the charred metal, plastic scattered everywhere leaving a bloody trail. Death echoed as far as the saffron fields.
The book takes us around the Pulwama conspiracy, right from its inception, execution and death of the mastermind. Romanticism of the terrorism amongst the youth who aspire for the power and glamour is baffling. The author tell us about the family background of the terrorists also and their role in this dastardly attack. This book is based on true crime, with appropriate references to each fact. The only thing that irked me were the faces of the terrorists on the cover! Coss-border terrorism, a bitter truth is exposed nakedly with facts and references. Apart for the Pulwama attack, few other deadly bombings, shootouts have been stated. I loved this books narration. It is not subtle, doesn't shy away from telling the truth.
In the district of Pulwama, lies a small town Lethpora located on the banks of river Jhelum where one can get finest saffron (kesar). On 14 February 2019 afternoon this town saw the bloodiest terrorist attack in Kashmir, that was not only heard around the 10 km radius but the aftermath of which was unrecognisable. This suicide attack killed 40 CRPF personnel, injured 35. Grieving kins of the Army personnel received empty boxes wrapped in the tricolour. Such was the impact that blood, body parts along with the charred metal, plastic scattered everywhere leaving a bloody trail. Death echoed as far as the saffron fields.
The book takes us around the Pulwama conspiracy, right from its inception, execution and death of the mastermind. Romanticism of the terrorism amongst the youth who aspire for the power and glamour is baffling. The author tell us about the family background of the terrorists also and their role in this dastardly attack. This book is based on true crime, with appropriate references to each fact. The only thing that irked me were the faces of the terrorists on the cover! Coss-border terrorism, a bitter truth is exposed nakedly with facts and references. Apart for the Pulwama attack, few other deadly bombings, shootouts have been stated. I loved this books narration. It is not subtle, doesn't shy away from telling the truth.
May 3, 2022
Our country has seen quite a lot of earth shattering attacks in the past.
We've heard about them on the news, watched people dissect each and every aspect behind them, sometimes with a questionable theatrical touch of table slams and comical screams that makes you wonder whether the people who claim to share the truth behind such attacks actually have any idea about what's going on.
Only to come to a conclusion that they really don't.
Because most of the time the people who take up the burden of unveiling the truth behind such incidents do so with punctuated silence where every symbol is etched down on the paper with a lot of thought, as it should, when it comes to tragedies such as the Pulwama attack. Because these attacks have real consequences, have affected real people and hence shall be brought to light properly.
This book is well researched and doesn't shy away from giving an unbiased opinion about any of the people involved which is refreshing to read.
Even though this is a non fiction, it reads like a thriller except that the "climax" was real and heartbreaking, and hence should've never happened.
An intriguing read that delves deeper into politics and conflict associated with the premise.
All the history and political buffs would like this one.
We've heard about them on the news, watched people dissect each and every aspect behind them, sometimes with a questionable theatrical touch of table slams and comical screams that makes you wonder whether the people who claim to share the truth behind such attacks actually have any idea about what's going on.
Only to come to a conclusion that they really don't.
Because most of the time the people who take up the burden of unveiling the truth behind such incidents do so with punctuated silence where every symbol is etched down on the paper with a lot of thought, as it should, when it comes to tragedies such as the Pulwama attack. Because these attacks have real consequences, have affected real people and hence shall be brought to light properly.
This book is well researched and doesn't shy away from giving an unbiased opinion about any of the people involved which is refreshing to read.
Even though this is a non fiction, it reads like a thriller except that the "climax" was real and heartbreaking, and hence should've never happened.
An intriguing read that delves deeper into politics and conflict associated with the premise.
All the history and political buffs would like this one.
May 23, 2022
“I won’t die in an accident or die of any disease. I will go down in glory.” – Major Sudhir Kumar Walia.
'AS FAR AS THE SAFFRON FIELDS: The Pulwama Conspiracy' is an important non-fiction novel with amazing narration, delineating us about the event which painted the snow red.
It was the year 2019, date 14 February, when our 40 CRPF brothers were attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district. The entire nation was shaken. Some lost their son, some lost her husband and some lost their only backbone. In the same year – March 2019, two militants were killed during a siege at a house in Nowgam (outskirts of Srinagar). This novel further tells the readers about the people of Kashmir – how fear stricken they are, the attacks and injustices faced by them.
Writing review on a novel based on true events is indeed an onerous task. I am indeed grateful to the author for writing about this incident and for being crystal clear about opinions. If you literally wish to know about my view point, then I would simply ask each of the person reading this to get their hands over this novel and read it.
'AS FAR AS THE SAFFRON FIELDS: The Pulwama Conspiracy' is an important non-fiction novel with amazing narration, delineating us about the event which painted the snow red.
It was the year 2019, date 14 February, when our 40 CRPF brothers were attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district. The entire nation was shaken. Some lost their son, some lost her husband and some lost their only backbone. In the same year – March 2019, two militants were killed during a siege at a house in Nowgam (outskirts of Srinagar). This novel further tells the readers about the people of Kashmir – how fear stricken they are, the attacks and injustices faced by them.
Writing review on a novel based on true events is indeed an onerous task. I am indeed grateful to the author for writing about this incident and for being crystal clear about opinions. If you literally wish to know about my view point, then I would simply ask each of the person reading this to get their hands over this novel and read it.
November 10, 2024
Unraveling any conspiracy is interesting. It unravels how terrorists operate, what motivates them, how do they channel that motivations, how human frailties bring them down.
Pulwama conspiracy has all those elements which would make it nothing less than the heart-racing novel and more. It has highly motivated terrorists hell-bent on causing destruction. It has duplicitous terrorist sympathisers or OGWs. It has tenacious law enforcement officers whose pursuit of these terrorists is a stuff of legends now. It even has an innocent teenage girl who tragically falls for a terrorist only to be used for his nefarious designs. The story revolves around Umar Farooq Alvi, the main terrorist who planned and executed the Pulwama, who happens to be nephew of Masood Azhar, the JeM ideologue. What brings him down and unravels the whole thing - his habit of clicking selfies and inadvertently digitally documenting, geotagging his life.
The book is must read as it focusses not only on Pulwama conspiracy but also goes tangentially to explains evolution of terrorism in Kashmir from early 90s to Masood Azhar to Burhan Wani era. The author meticulously takes us through various terror outfits, its main protagonists and support structure through various geographies like Af, Pak, PoK and Kashmir.
Do read !
Pulwama conspiracy has all those elements which would make it nothing less than the heart-racing novel and more. It has highly motivated terrorists hell-bent on causing destruction. It has duplicitous terrorist sympathisers or OGWs. It has tenacious law enforcement officers whose pursuit of these terrorists is a stuff of legends now. It even has an innocent teenage girl who tragically falls for a terrorist only to be used for his nefarious designs. The story revolves around Umar Farooq Alvi, the main terrorist who planned and executed the Pulwama, who happens to be nephew of Masood Azhar, the JeM ideologue. What brings him down and unravels the whole thing - his habit of clicking selfies and inadvertently digitally documenting, geotagging his life.
The book is must read as it focusses not only on Pulwama conspiracy but also goes tangentially to explains evolution of terrorism in Kashmir from early 90s to Masood Azhar to Burhan Wani era. The author meticulously takes us through various terror outfits, its main protagonists and support structure through various geographies like Af, Pak, PoK and Kashmir.
Do read !
June 19, 2022
‘40 Indian security personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in the Pulwama district of the state of Jammu & Kashmir’
This headline was all over the place on 14th February’19 and was enough to make us all cry in pain.
We all know about the most dreaded ‘Pulwama Attack’ but hardly know about the mastermind behind it.
This book will take you through the horrors again but with the point of view of the terrorists who planned all of this. This case was forgotten about when the investigation didn’t bear any fruit until the Indian intelligence cracked through the mobile phone of one of the two militants killed in a siege at a house in Nowgam.
The author takes us through the minds of the perpetrators , who are blinded by terrorism in the name of their religion. From entering India illegally to planning the whole attack, the book covers all.
The book is written beautifully, though the content is heart wrenching. There is so much detailed interlinking which will really help you understand everything. The book also has a few pictures which were found in the militant’s phone and all you’ll feel is rage after seeing them.
Recommended for those who would like to know about the Pulwama attack conspiracy
My Rating: 5/5🌟
This headline was all over the place on 14th February’19 and was enough to make us all cry in pain.
We all know about the most dreaded ‘Pulwama Attack’ but hardly know about the mastermind behind it.
This book will take you through the horrors again but with the point of view of the terrorists who planned all of this. This case was forgotten about when the investigation didn’t bear any fruit until the Indian intelligence cracked through the mobile phone of one of the two militants killed in a siege at a house in Nowgam.
The author takes us through the minds of the perpetrators , who are blinded by terrorism in the name of their religion. From entering India illegally to planning the whole attack, the book covers all.
The book is written beautifully, though the content is heart wrenching. There is so much detailed interlinking which will really help you understand everything. The book also has a few pictures which were found in the militant’s phone and all you’ll feel is rage after seeing them.
Recommended for those who would like to know about the Pulwama attack conspiracy
My Rating: 5/5🌟
March 18, 2025
As uncomfortable of a read as this book is, it’s an important perspective on the 2019 Pulwama attack. It humanizes some members of the conspiracy and their associated figures, such as Insha Jan, lover of one of the key militants (Mohammad Umar Farooq) involved in planning the attack. It also lays out an easy-to-understand timeline supported with factual findings like WhatsApp messages. If you can wade through the author’s agenda, this book has much of value if your goal is to understand what happened, who was involved, the logistic of the attack, and (some of) the aftermath. I also really appreciated the epilogue describing what happened to various figures named throughout the narrative. Insha, for example, has a particularly heartbreaking ending, wasting away in prison to skin and bones in the Jammu heat. She has no one to converse with in her native language and is miserable, emaciated, and alone. I was also impressed by the detail with which Rana outlines the subsequent Indo-Pakistani gunfight.
The author’s surname implies that he may be a Kashmiri Pandit if it’s pronounced like “Raina” as it is in the audiobook. (I am also a Pandit, so this is a perspective I’m familiar with.) Additionally, Rana is an Indian Police Officer in J&K. This background would seem to inform this book’s severe slant—which is anti-Pakistan, anti-Muslim, and anti-Kashmiri (Muslim)—and flies in the face of its claim of “objectivity”. For example, the word “pompous” is used to describe the celebration of Kashmir Day.
Rana’s disdain for Muslims is obvious. It’s expected (though unobjective) for him to venomously compare militants to rats repeatedly, but it was genuinely shocking to me that he described Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslim civilians with the same dehumanizing language. While he is careful to describe Indian police and army misconduct as “alleged” (despite acknowledging credible corroborating sources, like interrogation videos of army/police personnel beating Kashmiris), he uncritically repeats extremist and/or scandalous-sounding rumors about Kashmiri (Muslim) civilians (such as their supposedly universal affinity for militancy) without this same care. Even the human rights abuses are mentioned only in passing a handful of times, and Rana clearly discounts them and their impact on Kashmiri Muslims. For example, he acknowledges “allegations” of a key figure’s father being beaten by army personnel and police forces, but still dismisses his eventual turn to militancy as “Islamic jihad” rather than as a reaction to this genuine grievance. This is generally true of his surface-level, reductionist analysis of militancy—he chalks it all up to “jihad ideology” and Pakistani “meddling” instead of acknowledging that Kashmiris are drawn to Islamic militancy because a) they have legitimate issues with the Indian government that they have no avenues to address and b) the only viable alternative to this Indian (Hindu) oppression, to them, is to lean further into Islam and subsequently to be vulnerable to sympathetic militants. Rana seems to stop just short of realizing that Kashmiris have genuine reasons to feel alienated and exploited in favor of his explanation of Pakistani interference.
I would also venture that Rana explicitly avoids factual details that make Indian government and police agencies look bad. For example, systematic missteps that could’ve prevented the attack are either omitted or mentioned only in passing, despite being so egregious that there is a section in the Wikipedia page about the Pulwama attack dedicated to them. He also avoids describing the 2018 Kathua case, which he only mentions briefly despite its importance to Hindu-Muslim relations, as Hindu-on-Muslim violence because that doesn’t suit his narrative of militancy seemingly springing up out of thin (Pakistani) air. He also doesn’t mention the anti-Kashmiri violence perpetrated by Hindus that swept India in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
In summary: this book is good at answering the “who”, “what”, “when”, and “how” of the 2019 Pulwama attack. However, it fails miserably at the “why” and treats the issue of militancy like a different problem than it actually is, which is a worrying tack for a police officer to take. It doesn’t inspire confidence that security forces will learn from the attack or that they’ll ever reach across the table to local Kashmiris. However, if you can read past the narrative and bias, there are facts and sincere profiles of important figures connected to the Pulwama attack and its planning. I recommend reading this book with a critical eye.
The author’s surname implies that he may be a Kashmiri Pandit if it’s pronounced like “Raina” as it is in the audiobook. (I am also a Pandit, so this is a perspective I’m familiar with.) Additionally, Rana is an Indian Police Officer in J&K. This background would seem to inform this book’s severe slant—which is anti-Pakistan, anti-Muslim, and anti-Kashmiri (Muslim)—and flies in the face of its claim of “objectivity”. For example, the word “pompous” is used to describe the celebration of Kashmir Day.
Rana’s disdain for Muslims is obvious. It’s expected (though unobjective) for him to venomously compare militants to rats repeatedly, but it was genuinely shocking to me that he described Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslim civilians with the same dehumanizing language. While he is careful to describe Indian police and army misconduct as “alleged” (despite acknowledging credible corroborating sources, like interrogation videos of army/police personnel beating Kashmiris), he uncritically repeats extremist and/or scandalous-sounding rumors about Kashmiri (Muslim) civilians (such as their supposedly universal affinity for militancy) without this same care. Even the human rights abuses are mentioned only in passing a handful of times, and Rana clearly discounts them and their impact on Kashmiri Muslims. For example, he acknowledges “allegations” of a key figure’s father being beaten by army personnel and police forces, but still dismisses his eventual turn to militancy as “Islamic jihad” rather than as a reaction to this genuine grievance. This is generally true of his surface-level, reductionist analysis of militancy—he chalks it all up to “jihad ideology” and Pakistani “meddling” instead of acknowledging that Kashmiris are drawn to Islamic militancy because a) they have legitimate issues with the Indian government that they have no avenues to address and b) the only viable alternative to this Indian (Hindu) oppression, to them, is to lean further into Islam and subsequently to be vulnerable to sympathetic militants. Rana seems to stop just short of realizing that Kashmiris have genuine reasons to feel alienated and exploited in favor of his explanation of Pakistani interference.
I would also venture that Rana explicitly avoids factual details that make Indian government and police agencies look bad. For example, systematic missteps that could’ve prevented the attack are either omitted or mentioned only in passing, despite being so egregious that there is a section in the Wikipedia page about the Pulwama attack dedicated to them. He also avoids describing the 2018 Kathua case, which he only mentions briefly despite its importance to Hindu-Muslim relations, as Hindu-on-Muslim violence because that doesn’t suit his narrative of militancy seemingly springing up out of thin (Pakistani) air. He also doesn’t mention the anti-Kashmiri violence perpetrated by Hindus that swept India in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
In summary: this book is good at answering the “who”, “what”, “when”, and “how” of the 2019 Pulwama attack. However, it fails miserably at the “why” and treats the issue of militancy like a different problem than it actually is, which is a worrying tack for a police officer to take. It doesn’t inspire confidence that security forces will learn from the attack or that they’ll ever reach across the table to local Kashmiris. However, if you can read past the narrative and bias, there are facts and sincere profiles of important figures connected to the Pulwama attack and its planning. I recommend reading this book with a critical eye.
March 3, 2025
As far as the saffron fields – Danesh Rana
I remember the day I came to Srinagar with the thrill of watching the mighty mountains, running through the snow-covered gardens and rejuvenated by the mountain breeze. I hardly worried about the conflict-ridden atmosphere of Srinagar. With the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent granting of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, heavy security deployment was in place involving the paramilitary forces inside the Srinagar city and the Indian army being the vigilantes all around the UT. As everything appeared to have returned to normalcy, I had conveniently forgotten about the sporadic attacks that targeted civilians, non-locals and security forces, which had weighed down the valley soon after the abrogation.
One such attack that shook the nation was the Pulwama terrorist attack of February 14, 2019. My only knowledge of this came from news media. I remember reading page after page in the newspaper about the stories behind the conspiracy, editorials about the cross-border terrorism and India’s diplomatic relation with Pakistan, opinion pieces questioning Indian diplomacy and the involvement of the US supplying weapons for Pakistan’s arsenal, Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan becoming a support system for Pakistan and so on and so forth.
Everything I read about terrorism, insurgency and extremism gushed into my mind as I started my journey from the airport in Budgam to Srinagar city. Along the way, security personnel stood watch in bulletproof jackets and patka (headgear), gripping AK-47 and INSAS rifles in their hands, with their eyes scanning the surroundings with unwavering vigilance. The conflict-ridden valley with its days of unrest, uncertainty and security challenges unfolded before my eyes. I might not have reflected on the dark days, the valley had endured, had it not been for the foolproof security grid established by Jammu and Kashmir Police, CISF, CRPF, BSF, ITBP, and the SSB.
Gradually, I became used to them - the security posts at regular intervals, the bullet-proof security vehicles screeching on the concrete roads, the barbed wires fixed high atop walls, heavy metal gates separating the state buildings from civilians became a part of life. Even the morning fires from the paramilitary training grounds, which I had misunderstood as firecrackers before, became a quotidian echo.
However, after reading Danesh Rana’s ‘As Far as the Saffron Fields’, I fully grasped the darker side of the peaceful valley. The grisly images of once conflict-ridden Kashmir, as said in the book, juxtaposed with the now vibrant valley that I know, made me contemplate the belligerent malady that is still sleeping under the permafrost, waiting for the right time to strike. Such was the level of detail given in the book, from the conspirators to the execution to the aftermath.
‘As Far as the Saffron Fields’ is about the Lethpura terrorist attack, known to the world as the Pulwama attack, which shook the nation, claiming the lives of 40 CRPF personnel in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Valentine’s Day. Executed by a 22-year-old Kashmiri boy, Adil, brainwashed by the Mujahids, the attack was planned to its finest, taking away the dreams and aspirations of as many as 40 families.
Written by Kashmir cadre 1996 batch IPS officer Danesh Rana, this book delves deeper into the attack, giving us a detailed narration of the conspiracy through the lives lived by the terrorists before, Adil Dar, the young local rammed the vehicle full of explosives into the ill-fated CRPF bus on February 14. Based on 13500 pages long NIA charge sheet which includes statements of witnesses, appreciation of scientific and material evidence, seizure memos, disclosure statements of the accused, interrogation reports and other documentary evidence, Rana pieced together a compelling story on the happenings of Pulwama, from the very start of planning to the taking down of the culprits one by one. The book also gives us a glimpse of the not-so-ordinary lives of CRPF personnel, donning the camouflage uniform, guarding the nation with valour. But their personal lives, much like ours, make this book a valuable work, transcending human emotions.
And about the title of the book – an eyewitness recounted,
“The explosion was loud. It raised a cloud of black smoke. Guess how far the body parts flew? As far as the saffron fields”.
The book undeniably provides the full story of the conspiracy beyond mere timelines. A must-read book for those wanting to understand the Pulwama conspiracy and the modern face of Kashmir militancy.
I remember the day I came to Srinagar with the thrill of watching the mighty mountains, running through the snow-covered gardens and rejuvenated by the mountain breeze. I hardly worried about the conflict-ridden atmosphere of Srinagar. With the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent granting of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, heavy security deployment was in place involving the paramilitary forces inside the Srinagar city and the Indian army being the vigilantes all around the UT. As everything appeared to have returned to normalcy, I had conveniently forgotten about the sporadic attacks that targeted civilians, non-locals and security forces, which had weighed down the valley soon after the abrogation.
One such attack that shook the nation was the Pulwama terrorist attack of February 14, 2019. My only knowledge of this came from news media. I remember reading page after page in the newspaper about the stories behind the conspiracy, editorials about the cross-border terrorism and India’s diplomatic relation with Pakistan, opinion pieces questioning Indian diplomacy and the involvement of the US supplying weapons for Pakistan’s arsenal, Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan becoming a support system for Pakistan and so on and so forth.
Everything I read about terrorism, insurgency and extremism gushed into my mind as I started my journey from the airport in Budgam to Srinagar city. Along the way, security personnel stood watch in bulletproof jackets and patka (headgear), gripping AK-47 and INSAS rifles in their hands, with their eyes scanning the surroundings with unwavering vigilance. The conflict-ridden valley with its days of unrest, uncertainty and security challenges unfolded before my eyes. I might not have reflected on the dark days, the valley had endured, had it not been for the foolproof security grid established by Jammu and Kashmir Police, CISF, CRPF, BSF, ITBP, and the SSB.
Gradually, I became used to them - the security posts at regular intervals, the bullet-proof security vehicles screeching on the concrete roads, the barbed wires fixed high atop walls, heavy metal gates separating the state buildings from civilians became a part of life. Even the morning fires from the paramilitary training grounds, which I had misunderstood as firecrackers before, became a quotidian echo.
However, after reading Danesh Rana’s ‘As Far as the Saffron Fields’, I fully grasped the darker side of the peaceful valley. The grisly images of once conflict-ridden Kashmir, as said in the book, juxtaposed with the now vibrant valley that I know, made me contemplate the belligerent malady that is still sleeping under the permafrost, waiting for the right time to strike. Such was the level of detail given in the book, from the conspirators to the execution to the aftermath.
‘As Far as the Saffron Fields’ is about the Lethpura terrorist attack, known to the world as the Pulwama attack, which shook the nation, claiming the lives of 40 CRPF personnel in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Valentine’s Day. Executed by a 22-year-old Kashmiri boy, Adil, brainwashed by the Mujahids, the attack was planned to its finest, taking away the dreams and aspirations of as many as 40 families.
Written by Kashmir cadre 1996 batch IPS officer Danesh Rana, this book delves deeper into the attack, giving us a detailed narration of the conspiracy through the lives lived by the terrorists before, Adil Dar, the young local rammed the vehicle full of explosives into the ill-fated CRPF bus on February 14. Based on 13500 pages long NIA charge sheet which includes statements of witnesses, appreciation of scientific and material evidence, seizure memos, disclosure statements of the accused, interrogation reports and other documentary evidence, Rana pieced together a compelling story on the happenings of Pulwama, from the very start of planning to the taking down of the culprits one by one. The book also gives us a glimpse of the not-so-ordinary lives of CRPF personnel, donning the camouflage uniform, guarding the nation with valour. But their personal lives, much like ours, make this book a valuable work, transcending human emotions.
And about the title of the book – an eyewitness recounted,
“The explosion was loud. It raised a cloud of black smoke. Guess how far the body parts flew? As far as the saffron fields”.
The book undeniably provides the full story of the conspiracy beyond mere timelines. A must-read book for those wanting to understand the Pulwama conspiracy and the modern face of Kashmir militancy.
April 5, 2022
As far as the saffron fields: The Pulwama Conspiracy
Author - Danesh Rana
Genre - True Crime, Documentary.
Publisher - Harper Collins
Rating 4/5 stars
When the snowfall began they think to paint white snow red, they think to paint the saffron field red.
The snow had now started to fall gently on the field, soon it would turn red..
On February 14, 2019, Pulwama, a small city in Jammu and Kashmir area was shaken up by a blast and it also vigorously shook up the whole nation. After that attack in March 2019, two militants were killed during a siege at a house at Nowgam, it is the area, outskirts of Srinagar. Police found their broken but not properly destroyed smartphones and that pieces of the electronic gadget unravel a horrendous story of conspiracy.
Writing a review for this book is totally beyond my ability. I was shocked, I was terrified, I wasn't able to gather my thoughts for a few days but I have to write about this book so I picked up myself and forced my mind to write down my scattered thoughts in a readable manner.
It's A book that bound you to be entangled till the end. It's like slowly adjoining the pieces of a broken Canvas a broken puzzle.
A picture emerged from the broken mobile phone. From some snapshots taken in various moments, voice messages, texts chats, screenshots, voice recordings, videos, and call recordings, they made up the whole picture in a way that everyone can see the plot now.
Adil sank further into solitude, from which he found it impossible to emerge. He hardly spoke and his smile vanished from his face, he spent all of his time praying. Adil was scared and perhaps wanted to escape and run away from his impending death. Shakir told this while interrogation.
An IPS officer of J&K, Danesh Rana made a tremendous effort to come up with the whole story from a 13,500-page charge sheet.
Despite all the coverage by the print and electronic media we still want to delve deeper into an issue. I picked this one to understand the picture of the conspirators and the conspiracy, their blood-chilling details, the cold-blooded murder planning, and the story of being sacrificed and the shallow thinking of a generation in their own words jolted me. The Pulwama attack was JeM's greatest victory but it also gives them the next answer of course. This book covered a little bit more demonstration, from the Pulwama attack to Abhinandan Varthaman's landing on another side of the lines.
It's written in a very lucid way along with pacy narration. Long it was understood that it will be told in first-person point of view and an easy and sharp tone but in the notion of giving a lot of detail this storyline constantly goes back and forth and this made me almost confused and difficult to follow the present timeline of the incidence. all the information and details that are given here totally fulfilled the necessity of this book
I recommend it to all who are interested in nonfiction and history.
Author - Danesh Rana
Genre - True Crime, Documentary.
Publisher - Harper Collins
Rating 4/5 stars
When the snowfall began they think to paint white snow red, they think to paint the saffron field red.
The snow had now started to fall gently on the field, soon it would turn red..
On February 14, 2019, Pulwama, a small city in Jammu and Kashmir area was shaken up by a blast and it also vigorously shook up the whole nation. After that attack in March 2019, two militants were killed during a siege at a house at Nowgam, it is the area, outskirts of Srinagar. Police found their broken but not properly destroyed smartphones and that pieces of the electronic gadget unravel a horrendous story of conspiracy.
Writing a review for this book is totally beyond my ability. I was shocked, I was terrified, I wasn't able to gather my thoughts for a few days but I have to write about this book so I picked up myself and forced my mind to write down my scattered thoughts in a readable manner.
It's A book that bound you to be entangled till the end. It's like slowly adjoining the pieces of a broken Canvas a broken puzzle.
A picture emerged from the broken mobile phone. From some snapshots taken in various moments, voice messages, texts chats, screenshots, voice recordings, videos, and call recordings, they made up the whole picture in a way that everyone can see the plot now.
Adil sank further into solitude, from which he found it impossible to emerge. He hardly spoke and his smile vanished from his face, he spent all of his time praying. Adil was scared and perhaps wanted to escape and run away from his impending death. Shakir told this while interrogation.
An IPS officer of J&K, Danesh Rana made a tremendous effort to come up with the whole story from a 13,500-page charge sheet.
Despite all the coverage by the print and electronic media we still want to delve deeper into an issue. I picked this one to understand the picture of the conspirators and the conspiracy, their blood-chilling details, the cold-blooded murder planning, and the story of being sacrificed and the shallow thinking of a generation in their own words jolted me. The Pulwama attack was JeM's greatest victory but it also gives them the next answer of course. This book covered a little bit more demonstration, from the Pulwama attack to Abhinandan Varthaman's landing on another side of the lines.
It's written in a very lucid way along with pacy narration. Long it was understood that it will be told in first-person point of view and an easy and sharp tone but in the notion of giving a lot of detail this storyline constantly goes back and forth and this made me almost confused and difficult to follow the present timeline of the incidence. all the information and details that are given here totally fulfilled the necessity of this book
I recommend it to all who are interested in nonfiction and history.
May 8, 2022
Danesh Rana is a servingIndian Police Service (IPS) official of the Jammu and Kashmir framework. He iscurrently ADGP - Coordination, PHQ, Jammu and Kashmir. He is the writer of Red Maize (2015), which was granted the Tata Literature Live First Book Award, Fiction.
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In March 2019, two militants were killed during an attack at a house in Nowgam, on the edges of Srinagar. One of them was referred to just as 'Idrees Bhai'. The experience was forgotten generally, until specialists happened upon a ruined telephone that had been obliterated by Idrees Bhai. Whenever the Samsung cell phone started to uncover its mysteries, examiners acknowledged they had hit upon a motherlode. For, Idrees Bhai was, as a matter of fact, Umar Farooq Alvi, the brains of the Pulwama self destruction assault of February 2019 which had killed forty CRPF faculty, the deadliest fear assault on Indian security powers beginning around 1989.
Presently, interestingly, serving IPS official Danesh Rana fastidiously sorts out the connivance behind the assault. In light of individual meetings with the heroes, police chargesheets and other proof, Rana separates the cutting edge face of hostility in Kashmir, fuelled by exceptionally energetic youthful Kashmiris who have accepted the responsibility of cutting down the Indian state.
This is the tale of a state in struggle, recounted through the account of a solitary fear assault. Sorting out the narratives of a few entertainers - from Umar the kid wonder radical to Insha, his first love; from Adil Dar, the one who slammed a van brimming with explosives into the CRPF transport to Head Constable Jaimal Singh, the driver of that disastrous transport - As Far as the Saffron Fields is by a long shot the most conclusive book on the Pulwama assault, going where no book on the Kashmir struggle has gone previously. This is battle even from a pessimistic standpoint, destroying families and dreams, abandoning just ravaged bodies and telephones. After reading this book I got the knowledge about army and also I loved this book so much.
I will highly recommend this book .
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In March 2019, two militants were killed during an attack at a house in Nowgam, on the edges of Srinagar. One of them was referred to just as 'Idrees Bhai'. The experience was forgotten generally, until specialists happened upon a ruined telephone that had been obliterated by Idrees Bhai. Whenever the Samsung cell phone started to uncover its mysteries, examiners acknowledged they had hit upon a motherlode. For, Idrees Bhai was, as a matter of fact, Umar Farooq Alvi, the brains of the Pulwama self destruction assault of February 2019 which had killed forty CRPF faculty, the deadliest fear assault on Indian security powers beginning around 1989.
Presently, interestingly, serving IPS official Danesh Rana fastidiously sorts out the connivance behind the assault. In light of individual meetings with the heroes, police chargesheets and other proof, Rana separates the cutting edge face of hostility in Kashmir, fuelled by exceptionally energetic youthful Kashmiris who have accepted the responsibility of cutting down the Indian state.
This is the tale of a state in struggle, recounted through the account of a solitary fear assault. Sorting out the narratives of a few entertainers - from Umar the kid wonder radical to Insha, his first love; from Adil Dar, the one who slammed a van brimming with explosives into the CRPF transport to Head Constable Jaimal Singh, the driver of that disastrous transport - As Far as the Saffron Fields is by a long shot the most conclusive book on the Pulwama assault, going where no book on the Kashmir struggle has gone previously. This is battle even from a pessimistic standpoint, destroying families and dreams, abandoning just ravaged bodies and telephones. After reading this book I got the knowledge about army and also I loved this book so much.
I will highly recommend this book .
April 18, 2022
The book is based on the details the author obtained from the charge sheet submitted by NIA in this case and by interviews he could get with the people who are alive and in jail currently related to the Pulwama attack.
The way in which the incident is being back tracked in the book it helps understand how the terrorist mindset works, how they instill concept of Jihad in people's mind and convince them to join various terrorist organisations like LeT- Lashkar-e-Taiba, JeM- Jaish-e-Mohammad, HM- Hizbul Mujahideen, HuM- Harkat-ul-Mujahideen etc. It also highlights how the locals of Kashmir are often roped in terrorist activities forcefully in the name of Allah.
The book is detailed and focused to recreate all the scenes that might have occurred for the readers to understand all the things related to the unfortunate event. Some of the scenes are fictional as not every detail is known.
I read a book in the true crime genre for the first time and really liked it, hopefully I'm gonna pick more of it from now on.
The way in which the incident is being back tracked in the book it helps understand how the terrorist mindset works, how they instill concept of Jihad in people's mind and convince them to join various terrorist organisations like LeT- Lashkar-e-Taiba, JeM- Jaish-e-Mohammad, HM- Hizbul Mujahideen, HuM- Harkat-ul-Mujahideen etc. It also highlights how the locals of Kashmir are often roped in terrorist activities forcefully in the name of Allah.
The book is detailed and focused to recreate all the scenes that might have occurred for the readers to understand all the things related to the unfortunate event. Some of the scenes are fictional as not every detail is known.
I read a book in the true crime genre for the first time and really liked it, hopefully I'm gonna pick more of it from now on.
June 30, 2022
This is a backend story to WHAT?! and HOW?! of Pulwama attack which was in fact the major one in near times. This book is a compilation of data through primary sources written by an IPS officer Danesh Rana, who has also had his previous work very meticulously written.
An interesting question that pops up is How a smart phone led the investigation to take a turn and help solve the mystery around the attack. I have heard dead walking up creating ruckus but this is how a dead phone woke up and helped solve a case.
Mostly presents a details about the investigation like a journal which is narrated as in some fictional story, which is interesting to keep up with the events on a good note.
Precisely these are documented stories about people in uniform, residents and security forces on how things went down from planning the D-day till beefed up investigation phase.
This needs a little side notes to get familiar with the places and the organizations that come up in the book. One hell of a ride, uff!!
An interesting question that pops up is How a smart phone led the investigation to take a turn and help solve the mystery around the attack. I have heard dead walking up creating ruckus but this is how a dead phone woke up and helped solve a case.
Mostly presents a details about the investigation like a journal which is narrated as in some fictional story, which is interesting to keep up with the events on a good note.
Precisely these are documented stories about people in uniform, residents and security forces on how things went down from planning the D-day till beefed up investigation phase.
This needs a little side notes to get familiar with the places and the organizations that come up in the book. One hell of a ride, uff!!
May 5, 2024
The book goes into immense detail of what it took to carry out the Pulwama attack, the planning it took, the people involved, their motives, clear cut Pakistan connection and the role of NIA investigation.
The writing is very evocative. The description of the 39 martyrs, their family backgrounds, their activities of the day of the terrorist attack and the subsequent conduct of their families really puts names and faces on the people who gave supreme sacrifice in mother India’s service.
This book should be read by everyone who wants to know how the militancy and the militants in Kashmir operates. Provides glimpses into how security forces walk the tight ropes day in day out in the valley, amidst the hidden yet overground enemies of the state.
Thrilling and captivating. Aspiring Police Officers and Investigators should read it without fail to learn how to keep your patience, how to deeply investigate in complex cases such as these. And how luck plays out when you don’t even imagine it would.
Salutes the brave hearts of security and police forces in the country!
The writing is very evocative. The description of the 39 martyrs, their family backgrounds, their activities of the day of the terrorist attack and the subsequent conduct of their families really puts names and faces on the people who gave supreme sacrifice in mother India’s service.
This book should be read by everyone who wants to know how the militancy and the militants in Kashmir operates. Provides glimpses into how security forces walk the tight ropes day in day out in the valley, amidst the hidden yet overground enemies of the state.
Thrilling and captivating. Aspiring Police Officers and Investigators should read it without fail to learn how to keep your patience, how to deeply investigate in complex cases such as these. And how luck plays out when you don’t even imagine it would.
Salutes the brave hearts of security and police forces in the country!
August 14, 2022
Penultimate chapter 'As far as the Saffron Fields' welled up my eyes multiple times, there is nothing special about narration of the book or style of writing, its about resilence of India as a nation.
IMHO, patriotism is believing ideology that we are collectively one family/community, live under one nation, one flag; working (continuously) towards & sacrificing (on occasions) for the greater good of that belief. I believe in the ideology of India as a nation to the core.
I cannot review this book unbiased as I am emotionally connected to Pulwama incident and to the ideology of India as a nation. I am pained by any and all incidents that questions, intend to or hurts the idea of India as a nation, including the Pulwama incident. Everytime I read/listen about such incidents, I question myself what have I done to my nation, is there anything I can do to make my nation empowered and prosperous.
This book is narrated more like a novel than a fact stating document. The author has well researched the topic and made every effort to make it interesting. Albeit this book intertwines between present and past of Kashmir's and character’s history multiple times, it does not deviate from the theme of the book. The content provokes thoughts like, India as a resilient nation, audacity of Pakistani deepstate, gullibility of certain pockets of community, Indian Security forces relentless efforts to keep this region free of militancy.
If you are interested in topic of terrorism, J&K in particular this would be an interesting read.
IMHO, patriotism is believing ideology that we are collectively one family/community, live under one nation, one flag; working (continuously) towards & sacrificing (on occasions) for the greater good of that belief. I believe in the ideology of India as a nation to the core.
I cannot review this book unbiased as I am emotionally connected to Pulwama incident and to the ideology of India as a nation. I am pained by any and all incidents that questions, intend to or hurts the idea of India as a nation, including the Pulwama incident. Everytime I read/listen about such incidents, I question myself what have I done to my nation, is there anything I can do to make my nation empowered and prosperous.
This book is narrated more like a novel than a fact stating document. The author has well researched the topic and made every effort to make it interesting. Albeit this book intertwines between present and past of Kashmir's and character’s history multiple times, it does not deviate from the theme of the book. The content provokes thoughts like, India as a resilient nation, audacity of Pakistani deepstate, gullibility of certain pockets of community, Indian Security forces relentless efforts to keep this region free of militancy.
If you are interested in topic of terrorism, J&K in particular this would be an interesting read.
April 28, 2022
👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- As far as the Saffron Fields
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Danesh Rana
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- HarperCollins Publication
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Hardcover
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 Cover of the book is good it's appealing & the title is a very creative one.
🙂 Author as an IPS officer writes the book on factually with all the datas & information available.
🙂 Language used in the book is great. It's simple crisp & quite easily understandable to read.
🙂 The way author put forward the book from a completely new view point it gives a crisp experience of reading.
🙂 The way author connects all the dots with the help of all available information along with the evidence it makes the a must read one to understand the heart wrenching incident in a detail manner.
🙂 The way author emphasized on the sequence of events along with the timelines that gives you a clear cut idea about the conspiracy theory.
🙂 There are many undeveloped & unknown facts available about the Pulwama attack about which author throws light through his experience.
🙂 Pace of the book is quite moderate. It's not very fast nor very slow. Author described many things in a detailed manner but that never makes you feel bored while reading it.
𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- As far as the Saffron Fields
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Danesh Rana
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- HarperCollins Publication
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Hardcover
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 Cover of the book is good it's appealing & the title is a very creative one.
🙂 Author as an IPS officer writes the book on factually with all the datas & information available.
🙂 Language used in the book is great. It's simple crisp & quite easily understandable to read.
🙂 The way author put forward the book from a completely new view point it gives a crisp experience of reading.
🙂 The way author connects all the dots with the help of all available information along with the evidence it makes the a must read one to understand the heart wrenching incident in a detail manner.
🙂 The way author emphasized on the sequence of events along with the timelines that gives you a clear cut idea about the conspiracy theory.
🙂 There are many undeveloped & unknown facts available about the Pulwama attack about which author throws light through his experience.
🙂 Pace of the book is quite moderate. It's not very fast nor very slow. Author described many things in a detailed manner but that never makes you feel bored while reading it.
𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟
April 1, 2022
I would definitely recommend this book to history or political buffs, but other than that I would say everyone of us should try reading this book as it touches subjects regarding the Kashmir issue which have never been discussed before and dives deep into the investigation carried out after the Pulwama Attack of 2019. Author being a servicing IPS officer himself has written this one with intricate detail.
February 12, 2024
Well this books is a mixture of facts that can't be verified and someof it looks like a work of fiction. But this definitely delves into the complex nature of the armed conflict in Kashmir.
As written by someone who has been on the field and seen it all makes it much more interesting otherwise it is a stretched one.
Overall a good read!
As written by someone who has been on the field and seen it all makes it much more interesting otherwise it is a stretched one.
Overall a good read!
April 21, 2022
Very much a readable book except it zigzags through dates and years in no particular order and sometimes hard to follow. Overall a decent job in weaving together a story where it is indeed to put together factual account.
Read
February 5, 2024Got to know the dark side of Kashmir
Gives a good picture of how militancy was formed and how various attacks have been planned.
Also, talk about how militants enter India, what kind of support they have in the valley etc.
Gives a good picture of how militancy was formed and how various attacks have been planned.
Also, talk about how militants enter India, what kind of support they have in the valley etc.
January 3, 2023
Very detailed information about the planning of the attack. And the lead up to the final hour.
August 25, 2025
Could have been 50 pages short. Well researched, elaborately written.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews