The Sino-Indian War of 1962 ended with China declaring a unilateral ceasefire after inflicting a humiliating defeat on the Indian armed forces along the North-Eastern frontier. In this compelling expose of India's debacle in the war, D.R. Mankekar reveals how the country bungled in guarding its interests in the frontier dispute with China, tracing the mistakes that were made at the highest levels of government in responding to the Chinese incursions across our borders. He highlights also the systematic approach of the Chinese to the issues at stake in contrast to the psychological and military unpreparedness that characterized the Indian effort, and graphically recreates key events of the war, like the storming of the 'impregnable' fort of Towang in Tse-la, to which Chinese gained access by using an old and out-of-use railway route.
A riveting account of the war that forced India to take stock of its defence priorities, The Guilty Men of 1962 is just as relevant today, in the post-Pokharan II scenario, as when it was written thirty years ago.