Soldier or scapegoat? Decorated NSG commando, Laxman Singh Bisht, is framed for double murder. Unravel the shocking truth behind Agent Lima’s ordeal and the dark side of covert operations in this gripping true story.
Over the decades, I have come to believe that the human race is far kinder to the dead than the living. This real story of Agent Lima or Commando Laxman Singh Bisht is one such biography.
The young man comes from a family that has served in the armed forces for generations, so it was natural for him to follow the legacy. But what followed was anything but legacy. On the fateful day of September 6, 2011, Bisht was arrested from his Haldwani home by the Uttarakhand Police for the murders of two notorious gangsters, Raju Pargai and Amit Arya.
Born in a village close to Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Laxman or Lucky Singh, lived through the hardest training in the world to become an ace commando, having been awarded for his service as well. He was just 16 years old when he enrolled for this.
Part of teams across terrorist-infested regions of Congo, Somalia, north-east India and more, he has been Personal Security Officer for eminent politicians across India, among them the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2011.
Tired after years of combat, he was on leave to look after his sick mother. The entire family was flabbergasted at the shocking arrest; Singh expected the agency to bail him out at the earliest. However, fate had other plans. Bisht was in custody for close to four years, he got bail in 2015. In between he was transferred to 11 jails as the jailers were scared of standing guard over ‘Commando bhai’.
Darkness is a strange teacher and there is a price for this learning. Bisht lost his nascent lady love, his reputation and was exposed to the hardest of criminals in the jails. His knack for teamwork helped him survive, though there were terrorising moments and he retained his sanity only due to the strong commando training. In the meanwhile, the world outside termed him a gangster and encashed on his hardcore reputation of killing the most feared gangsters of Uttarakhand.
Bisht was acquitted in 2016 and all the cases closed in 2018. He resigned from the intelligence agency in 2019.
In his inimitable style, Zaidi traces Bisht’s journey from his entry into the agency to jail, and thereafter. Zaidi’s research reveals that an Agent Lima was sent by the agency to assassinate the gangsters, who flourished under the reign of corrupt political friends. And Bisht’s torturous jail term was a result of this friendship. We do find some reservations around Bisht’s narrative in the foreword by Neeraj Kumar, Ex-Delhi Police Chief. After reading the book, one understands why.
The book runs on a parallel plot, with the story of Agent Lima’s assignment and Bisht’s arrest. It does get confusing initially, but then Agent Lima is the code of Lucky Singh Bisht. So, did he murder or not murder the two gangsters?
In the mayhem that Bisht lived, one is compelled to ponder over the turn of events. As an agent was responsible for the killings, why wasn’t Bisht released sooner? How did the local or state police hold more power over a NSG commando and Indian intelligence officer than the agency itself? Why wasn’t he tried in a special court? Why was he arrested for killing notorious gangsters? Why didn’t the governing machinery support a corruption-free state? Why wasn’t Bisht given a government lawyer and subjected to shell out lakhs, that he didn’t possess, for a private criminal lawyer? Why do men in power treat protectors as slaves and not give them the respect they deserve? Why does governance take its people for granted, not give them the certainty of being well-looked after?
Zaidi is a captivating storyteller, and probably as brave as Bisht to live with danger, and share it far and wide through his writings. The book is unputdownable. And you can’t skip pages, as unlike crime fiction, this one has new information in every sentence. Also, reading the end first doesn’t help, because the juice is in knowing the full story.
Bisht’s life is an intriguing one, activating dormant grey cells. Listed among the world’s renowned snipers and as a contract killer on Wikipedia, Bisht has appealed to the public to not treat him as gangster or fear him, for “I am just a soldier”, a word that stands for integrity, fortitude, courage and nation above all.
On the con side, the book could have done with another round of proofreading, as there are visible typos.
You might also like to listen to the interview on Hussain Zaidi Books YouTube channel.
Book Details
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India
Language: English
Paperback: 304 pages
Price: INR 499 (Kindle edition available)
(I received this book as a winner of a giveaway by Simon & Schuster India & Hussain Zaidi Books. The views are my own.)
This post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile
Queen of Treasures 
This was such an engaging review to read Ambica. I loved the points you raised and I often find myself questioning those in power who proclaim to want to help but do everything in their power to be as unhelpful as possible. It’s quite the conundrum.
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power is such a complex issue, I wonder if the people in power also know they are puppets of a myth. Power makes me think!
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It’s a very nice and engaging review. And I agree: Zaidi is a wonderful storyteller. I read my first Zaidi book recently (The Black Orphan) and really liked it.
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this sounds like an interesting book, especially as it’s based on a true story. I’ll keep it in mind for when I’m in the mood for some true spy reading.
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This is a book that can get me hooked. We live in a terrible world where honesty and integrity can land you in jail. The protagonist of this book deserves attention, I think.
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The world has always been more cruel than kind, I guess it’s just about survival of the fittest.
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It’s infuriating to see how the system failed Bisht, turning a hero into a prisoner. The questions raised about justice and governance are compelling and demand answers. IThanks for sharing the review. Will check this one soon
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The book sounds definitely interesting to me after reading your review but the last line …. a round of proofreading. Can these errors I can overlook and will I enjoy reading it still? The question is haunting me
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yes, you can overlook the errors, they are spread across the book in 3-4 pages, so doesn’t impact the entire narrative.
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Argh! Just when I was so captivated by the real-life RAW commando Lima’s story and had made up my mind about picking this up some time for reading, you mentioned the typos- I find them very irritating
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They can be ignored in this
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I remember reading Dongri to Dubai by Hussain Zaidi ages ago. I know he has written many more books since then. But what struck me the most about his writing at that time, is how detached he was as a narrator. He didnot let his personal emotion/thoughts influence the reader. And if this book is written in the same way, I am sure it is going to be an entertaining one.
p.s. it is a pity about the typos, specially since the book has been published by a reputed publishing house.
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This was such an engaging review…even though I don’t read this genre and am yet to explore Zaidi’s writings, I am quite intrigued by the plot. The only thing as you pointed, the publisher should have looked into the typos…a well-constructed book deserves it in every sense.
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Only ever heard good things about Zaidi’s writing and books. But yet to pick something by him myself. This one seems like a gripping read. I’m not into non-fiction but the way you’ve reviewed the book, it seems no less than an action-packed fiction thriller, which is my favorite genre. So I might just break character.
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I’ve read his latest and I found that there’s too much of action for my liking.
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The life story of Agent Lima arouses fear and vulnerability in some readers, for he ends up in jail for being honest, committed and practising integrity in his profession. How many more have been made to lay down their lives by a powerful and unruly ruling system? It happens everywhere; however, the accused will never get a recourse in certain countries. I have included it in my reading list.
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review of “R.A.W. Hitman: The Real Story of Agent Lima” by S. Hussain Zaidi. Your detailed insights into Laxman Singh Bisht’s journey were compelling and thought-provoking. The way you highlighted the dual narrative and raised critical questions about justice and governance truly added depth to the review.
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It seems to be a book that will keep readers on their toes right till the end. Your review is a sample of it.
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intriguing! And your review makes it all the more inviting for readers to pick it up. Thank for sharing this review.
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A very engaging review. As they say for all secret agents, as long as you’re not caught you’re a hero, but once on the other side then you’re on your own.
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im a fan of zaidi writings. I loved your honest review.Though the book sounds interesting, visible typos turn me off. I think I will give this a skip.
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Quite an engaging review, Ambica. You have raised some pertinent points too. I have seen this book and his latest doing the rounds but yet to pick them up. The review just put them on the top of the list.
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Yeah, the mystery of murders and the inability to save one’s own, that left a lot of disocmfort.
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I am truly hooked to read this book after reading your review. It depicts the extremity a soldier can bear only for his nation. Salute to all soldiers. ..
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It is a moving story, lots of complexities and injustice along the way, but I guess life has its own passage and we can only go with the flow.
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