• I have seen Manini Chatterjee’s report (IE, April 7) on the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura. I have been monitoring the situation in Mathura since the early ’80s. Surprisingly, she has not mentioned the existing agreement between the Krishna Janamsthan Mandir Samiti and the District Wakf Committee, Mathura, reached in the ’80s, under which the Muslims gave away all the land to the north, west and south of the idgah, on which the Krishna Janamsthan Mandir was subsequently built, next to the western wall of the idgah. Secondly, Muslims have been regularly offering congregational namaz five times a day, not only on Fridays and festivals, since at least the late seventies. The idgah masjid is well-guarded at our request because from time to time the VHP announces special programmes to reiterate its claim on the idgah masjid and to mobilise its followers. But the two communities are living peacefully in Mathura and would like to be left to themselves. — Syed Shahabuddin New Delhi UP’s kingmakers • Apropos of ‘Heartland palpitations’ (IE, April 8), it is a perceptive look at the murky political scene in India’s most populous state. The four-way fight between the SP-RLD combine, the BSP, the BJP and the Congress renders calculations about victory margins very difficult, but as of now the writing on the wall indicates that the SP-RLD alliance will top. This is because Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ajit Singh having combined, the Rajput-Muslim-Ahir combine will now become a Rajput-Muslim-Ahir-Jat combine. If Yadav is able to get 40 seats for this alliance, then he and Ajit Singh can well emerge as kingmakers after the election. — Vinod Chowdhury Delhi Justice for all • The Supreme Court of India has ensured that no one is above the law by its ruling in the Best Bakery case (‘Justice at its best’, April 14). While the past had many riots, where there was miscarriage of justice, it doesn’t give anyone a right to plan and deliver a genocide. The attack on the Muslim community in Gujarat was nothing but evil, savage and brutal. The BJP’s defence was “they” (meaning the Congress) did it too. So what? The modern day “Neros” must now be brought to the Supreme Court with Modi to answer why so many thousands were burnt alive while the police looked the other way. — Arvind Amin On e-mail • What if the re-trial at Maharashtra also comes to a conclusion similar to the one reached by the Gujarat HC? Will the media and the SC look for another state and then another state and then probably another country? We, as the public, want to know what was the substance of the evidence/ruling in the Best Bakery case that was faulty. I think there is too much of a fashion in making quotable quotes, and not enough stress on substance. Justice has to be cut and dry and completely factual. Not a drama for citizens. — V.S. Krishnan On e-mail Arrest and fine • Lalji Tandon and all the others who participated in this distribution function must not only be jailed but very heavily fined (‘Brushed under the sari: BJP man fixed Lalji show’, IE, April 12). Such people always run away when a tragedy has struck and shun all responsibility. Punishment is the only method of education for such scoundrels. — Ramesh Lahoti On e-mail
