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Journalism of Courage
Your editorial ‘Politics of murder’ (January 28) aptly concludes that turning a blind eye to violence would ensure that violence reaches apocalyptic proportions. In these instances, in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, the victims had been given strong security cover. But no one saw the assailants. As cameras are cheaper than guns and perhaps more effective than people in discovering who the perpetrators are, threatened leaders and venues should be watched by cameras in future.
— Som Karamchetty On e-mail
Above all laws
• The incident involving army jawans pushing five persons out of a train to their death points to a decline in social values (‘Arrogance in uniform’, IE, January 25). At a basic level, violence has trickled down from the political class, and has become a flood engulfing every strata of our society. Probably, social scientists may be able explain this phenomenon, putting the politicians and the men in uniform on the same platform. The former lot remain unaccountable with parliamentary/legislative protection, and the men in uniform have begun to catch that sense of invulnerability.
— H.R. B. Satyanarayana Mysore
Dishonesty pays
• In our country it is always dishonesty that pays. Examples are aplenty. You do not pay income tax honestly. And the government is forced to announce some kind of amnesty scheme like VDIS. You do not pay sales tax honestly. Still the government is forced to announce some kind of amnesty, foregoing interest and penalty. You steal electricity by tampering with meters or steal it with an unauthorised connection. And yet you get away with a paltry fine for the theft.
— Sudhir K. Bhave Mumbai
Voter’s dilemma
• This refers to the story ‘Below, a school in Bihar CM’s constituency. Two classrooms. One’s locked, the other a public toilet. The teacher returns just to hoist Tricolour’ (IE, January 27). The question is, where does the problem lie? Is it with the political system of Bihar or is it with the people who vote?
— Jahnavi Akkineni Hyderabad
Future’s here
• Maoist rebels have abducted nearly 1800 people, including 700 students, over the past three days in Nepal (‘Maoists abduct 700 students in E Nepal’, IE, January 28). There is substantial evidence linking insurgents in Indian territory across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc, with Nepalese Maoists. We should therefore not wait for such a mass abduction before starting to mobilise state action and extend safeguards to prevent such an occurrence. In fact, being a bigger and more powerful nation, it is India’s duty to check and control such ruinous unrest against the state, irrespective of the fact that it’s not happening within our borders but in our neighbouring state’s territory.
India must offer requisite assistance to Nepal. Beyond the moral responsibilities, we must again remind ourselves continuously of the fact that if it’s happening to a neighbouring state today, tomorrow is not good for us.
— Gaurav Dua Delhi
