M A I L B A G

Nithari killings a national shame

The people are shocked to hear of the brutish and heinous crime in Noida’s Nithari village. It is a national shame. The prime accused may be prosecuted for murder but the crime is very serious. He has murdered each one of them and cut them into pieces. He might have even sold some parts of the body.

In legal parlance, murder implies “the crime of killing a person under circumstances previously defined by a statute.” The Black Law Dictionary describes murder as “the killing of a human being with malice aforethought.” Section 300 IPC describes murder in an elaborate form. From all these definitions, one can surmise that the crime committed in Nithari does not subset murder but more than that and it is not defined in our penal code.

Thus, the punishment to be given for a crime of this nature should be defined well in Section 302 IPC. A new section should be added to define a crime of this nature and magnitude. A reform in the criminal law is the need of hour.

This act has shocked the whole country, showing the wildness in a man. This has resulted due to the inefficiency of the police and other government departments. The onus is on the Municipal Corporation too as its failure to check the drains has resulted in so many deaths. If any of these departments had been careful, the killer would have been arrested earlier and many innocent lives could have been saved.

AYUSHI SACHDEVA, Law student, Panjab University, Chandigarh

II

The ghastly issue was brought to the notice of the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and the National Commission for Women soon after some people went missing. Sadly, both ignored such complaints on the frivolous ground that the matter was within the Uttar Pradesh government’s jurisdiction. Had they acted on time, many precious lives could have been saved.

The criminal justice system is full of loopholes which are exploited to the hilt by the criminals. There is much talk about the police not recording FIRs of complaints pertaining to missing persons. How can the state keep track of all missing persons when the authorities do not have any knowledge of the number and identities of those living in different localities? Is it possible for one to keep a trail? And if so, who is to be trailed?

The local police stations would do well to get SHOs and beat constables to record details of the residents of different areas. If the police are understaffed for such work, some of the staff on VIP duty must be made available for the purpose. After all, ordinary lives are no less important than those of VIPs.

V.B.N. RAM, New Delhi

III

People pay taxes to the government in lieu of social security and basic facilities provided to them. The Nithari killings prove that the state government has failed on both fronts. Worse, it has failed to protect even innocent children!

Our leaders have now come out with compensation to the victims to cover up their inefficiency. This money could have been spent on providing basic education and health facilities. What happened in Nithari was shameful.

OM DATT SHARMA, Advocate, Chandigarh

Media fellowship

The Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research has announced the Third CNES-Setu National Media Fellowship for journalists and print media professionals who wish to study issues related to the North East. It carries an award of Rs 75,000 and is spread over three months.

Applicants for this year’s award should select a topic from the following: The impact of conflict on women; Environment under stress; The impact of mining on society and the environment (take specific locations such as Meghalaya); The media under pressure in the North-east; and The region’s experience with special draconian laws. Details of the fellowship are available at the website www.c-nes.org.

Full-time journalists with a minimum work experience of 5-10 years may write to CNES-Setu Fellowship, D 6, 6143/3, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070 (Ph: 26121426) before March 31, 2007. The award will be announced by April 15, 2007.

SANJOY HAZARIKA, New Delhi