The Silent Coup: A History of India's Deep State Hardcover – 23 August 2021

Indian Democracy is in crisis. It has been so for some time now.Even under earlier governments, in varying degrees & in different places, the crisis was clear.Josy's book, through his 20+ years of reporting on Defence, Security, Intelligence gives a detailed & specific insight into how the 'Deep State', that's the Intelligence, Police, basically the non-military arm if Security Establishment has given up on Democracy & Constitution, & not just following dictates of their political Masters, but also being pro-active to manufacture Terror to serve the riling elite's narrative.It's one of th most shocking & powerful books.To solve something, you need to understand it first, & for me understanding what's happening, how is it happening & why is it happening has evolved & widened after reading this book.Finest book on contemporary India. Read it with 'Feast of Vultures - The Hidden Business of Democracy in India' & you'll understand India, rather the real functioning of India.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book reveals the dire state of India’s security establishments, many of which have become mere puppets of the political executive. I liked the way the author has narrated the entire sequence of events. The extensive research on important events of India’s recent past helps one understand the loopholes and flaws prevailing in our system of governance.

A scary and real narrative of the tragic demise of Indian democracy.Lot of detail that sometimes I lost the plot but the passion zeal truth and angst of the author shines through.A must read for any true Indian lover of his country who will not be swayed by the construction of a fake news and takeover of all the constituent pillars of our Republic.

Stellar articulation of our deep state and its actions.

The creation of narratives through real life alter egos is just one fascinating aspect of the script. The elevation of the narratives to societal dynamics and the institutional mecahnisms that pattern our neglect is unique work. Immensely valuable curation almost pulling itself up from the jaws of despair and defeat, this is easily among the rarest of publications in an era of hopelessness.Readability is enhanced with credible referencing. The lack of pretence is so untiringly persistent as the salience of virtue based living jumps at you from the page. Reality check of unsurpassed nature.

The book is very well written, barring some sections of the LTTE saga, which seem to be a bit stretched. It was hard to stop reading. The book gives great insight into the functioning of Indian machinery. Must read, if you have a curious bent of mind and want to know the true picture and not the one the paid media potrays.

This is the second book by Josy Joseph and like the first one, it shows you the mirror. Mr. Joseph hardly colours any fact with his judgement but only presents you the facts and how things are happening across the country to drill down the point that when we Indians laugh at Pakistan being under Millitary coup, we should be aware how our so called constitutional systems have repeatedly failed and how it is managed.Very crisp writing. A must read for everyone.

Very well written and the author's perspectives, being on the field, gives a fair amount of real-life situations and observations. I tend to believe it is unbiased because the author is equally critical of all parties and not leaning left or right.