‘Police Affairs: Beyond the Call of Duty’ by Amit Lodha: Cracks in the perfect world
Celebrated cop Amit Lodha’s book ‘Police Affairs: Beyond the Call of Duty’ is a crime thriller that slowly grows on the reader. Following the enormous success of his first two books that were based on incidents he experienced as a police officer, the third also centres around a cop.
Lodha’s first book, ‘Bihar Diaries’, was adapted into the popular web series ‘Khakee’. His second book, ‘Life in the Uniform’, humorously chronicles his journey from an IIT graduate struggling to find his purpose in life to becoming an IPS officer. In ‘Police Affairs: Beyond the Call of Duty’, Lodha crafts a fictional plot.
One of the trickiest parts of storytelling is writing dialogues that let events unfold naturally, without spelling out everything. Those who pick the book thinking of ‘Khakee’ will have to negotiate a sea of flat, formulaic dialogues that the writer has employed to narrate the story. The author starts explaining the obvious, gently slowing down the pace of the book.
The protagonist is Inspector General of Police Arjun Kumar, who is on deputation with the Border Security Force (BSF) and has been posted as the head of the Punjab Frontier (International Border with Pakistan). Arjun Kumar is a sharp officer who saves the Prime Minister from a dangerous terror attack during a visit to Punjab.
However, his professional acumen in solving and preventing crime goes for a toss when faced with personal temptations. He meets a captivating singer, Madhushree, at a police event and his carefully constructed world begins to crumble. The plot raises gripping questions: will he succumb to primal desires? Will it lead to crime? How will he navigate this moral dilemma?
The book, recommended by actor Akshay Kumar and featuring a foreword by popular author Chetan Bhagat, delves into the conflict that many persons in powerful and responsible positions face: should they yield to the temptations outside of their marriage and still hope it will not disturb their professional and personal equilibrium? As personal transgression drags him into a dangerous conspiracy, Arjun Kumar finds himself staring at the losing end.
The IPS officer-writer could have been more precise with minor policing details like the length of the India-Pakistan border or the spellings of places to show how thorough a police officer can be. This would have lent credence to the character.
The book could also have benefitted with more layers of mystery as some events and actions defy logic. For instance, his wife always packs his suitcase without fail, but the IGP still tries to put something in it. And mind you, she is no ordinary homemaker. She is a crime solver who has ‘graduated from the University of Crime Patrol’, and definitely surprises the protagonist and the readers.
The book tries to evoke intrigue and suspense, but manages it only in parts.
Book Review