Black Friday : The True Story Of The Bom

The first compelling account of the biggest terrorist attack on an Indian city.

On the afternoon of 12 March 1993, a series of explosions cut a swathe through Bombay, spreading terror and destruction over a period of two hours. Starting from the landmark Bombay Stock Exchange in the south of the city during the crowded lunch hour, the blasts extended all the way across to Centaur Hotel, Juhu, in the north. The toll: 257 killed or missing, 713 injured, and a city in shambles.

In Black Friday, S. Hussain Zaidi takes us into the heart of the conspiracy and the massive investigation that ensued. The product of four years of meticulous research, the book gives chilling insights into the criminal mind as revealed in Zaidi’s interviews with the close associates of some of India’s most notorious names—Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, among others—and reveals the true dimensions of the macabre plan that spanned several countries and had been months in the making.

The characters we meet are compelling: the terrorists, the corrupt law enforcement agents who abetted the plot, the investigators who would stop at nothing, and above all, the people of Bombay of whose resilient spirit this book is a celebration. Today, as terrorist attacks on Indian cities become more frequent, this heroism is something we might all be called upon to emulate.

'A taut, nerve-wrenching narrative that reveals startling truths about the horrific attack on Bombay.’

—Vikram Chandra