Who Killed Shastri?: The Tashkent Files Agnihotri Vivek

Who Killed Shastri? is an investigation into the murder mystery of India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, in the backdrop of the Cold War where everyone is a suspect.It is an edgy, electrifying story of ambition, betrayal and loyalty, which led to the murder of a prime minister. In a world of power, money, half-truths and white lies, it exposes how the sinister politics of ambition and greed had gone dangerously awry.The book is the only comprehensive work on the politics behind Shastri's mysterious death in the backdrop of sinister politics ranging from India's humiliating defeat against China in 1962 to the murder of democracy in 1975.Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is an award-winning filmmaker, bestselling author and a free thinker. A former advertising man, he is a popular public speaker on sociopolitical issues, creative thinking and innovation at top global institutes. Vivek is an 'Indic Civilisation' crusader. His prophetic cult film, Buddha in a Traffic Jam, dealt with the theme of Urban Naxalism and exposed the sinister nexus between the Naxals, media, NGOs and academia. Vivek's latest film, The Tashkent Files, based on the mysterious death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri has been critically acclaimed. Vivek's debut book Urban Naxals became the fastest-selling #1 bestseller. The term 'Urban Naxals' is now used as a legit term and is accepted as a political reality by political analysts, media and the Government of India. He is married to National Award-winning actor Pallavi Joshi and has two children. Along with Pallavi, he runs an NGO-I Am Buddha Foundation-which mentors and trains disadvantaged youth in creative thinking. Vivek has been the recipient of several national and international awards.It was the time of the Cold War. After defeating Pakistan in the second biggest armed conflict since the Second World War, Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri arrived in Tashkent, former USSR, to sign a peace accord. After days of extended negotiations, the peace agreement was signed between India and Pakistan in the presence of Alexei Kosygin, the USSR Premier. Hours later, at 1.32 AM, Shastri died in his dacha. Abruptly. Mysteriously. Soon after, his official Russian butler and the Indian cook attached to the Indian ambassador were arrested by the Ninth Directorate of the KGB under the suspicion of poisoning Shastri. No post-mortem was done. No confession was achieved. There was no judicial enquiry ever. It's been 50 years since his death, and we still don't know the truth. Was it really a heart attack? Was he poisoned? Did the CIA kill him? Was it the KGB? Was it a state-sponsored murder? Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri along with his motley team of inexperienced assistants turned whistle-blowers investigate the mystery behind Shastri's death and find themselves in a mirror-world where all and everybody is suspect. But they cannot remain distant, for the painful story of India touches their own lives as they discover how the country was put up for sale.The first-ever book to investigate the mysterious death of independent India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, from all possible angles.