Cricket is the real culprit

Refer to ‘FIR against RCB, event firm for stampede; top cop of B’luru suspended’; the real culprit behind the fatal stampede in Bengaluru is the cricket mania in India, fuelled largely by the media and the corporate sector. The cocktail of business and glamour is dished out throughout the year in one format or another. India can never become a great sporting nation as long as its young generation is obsessed with cricket. Most of the nations which bag a rich haul of medals at the Olympics or other international events are not keen on cricket. Our youngster’s addiction to cricket can be detrimental to the interests of the nation.

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Hira Sharma, by mail

Improve crowd management

Apropos of ‘Spare a thought for the madding crowd’; the Bengaluru mishap happened amid the RCB victory celebrations, leading to the death of 11 cricket fans. The writer argues aptly that we need to improve the system of crowd management at large public gatherings. After its launch in 2008, the Indian Premier League initially attracted talent from big cities. Now, even small-town cricketers are getting a chance to display their talent in this high-profile tournament. Its popularity has made it a global sports event. Yet, we must spare a thought for the safety and security of the fans, who jostle with one another for a glimpse of their favourite cricket stars.

Raj Bahadur Yadav, Fatehabad

Authorities caught off-guard

Refer to the article ‘Spare a thought for the madding crowd’; this is not the first time people have lost their lives in a stampede, nor is it going to be the last. The mad rush makes it difficult for the authorities to control it. The Karnataka Government and the state cricket association cannot escape responsibility, though it has been seen in many past cases that those guilty of negligence go scot-free. We need to adopt modern and scientific methods of crowd control in order to prevent needless loss of lives.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Raising the bar

Apropos of the editorial, ‘CJI’s benchmark’; Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has rightly raised said that judges should not accept any government job after retirement. This high benchmark applies equally to officers retiring from the defence forces. Take the case of former Army Chief Gen VK Singh: first, he became a minister in the Narendra Modi government and later accepted the post of governor of Mizoram. Certain positions — such as the CJI, Service Chiefs and directors of the CBI and the ED chief — which must stay away from the quagmire of politics.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Cooling-off period

The editorial ‘CJI’s benchmark’ has made some important points. CJI BR Gavai has spoken about efforts to preserve the credibility and independence of the judiciary. In the past also, to accept or not to accept post-retirement roles in the government has been a subject of debate. There should be a cooling-off period of one or two years to utilise services of ex-judges and lay to rest doubts in the minds of petitioners whose cases were pending/decided before the date of retirement. Sometimes, there has been political mudslinging about verdicts delivered by judges on the eve of retirement.

Raghbir Singh, Mohali

Caste enumeration

The Centre has decided to include caste enumeration in the Census. It is a significant political and social milestone. The exercise was delayed due to Covid-19 and other factors. It promises to offer an empirical foundation of welfare policies by establishing the actual numerical strength and socioeconomic conditions of various caste groups, including OBCs. The editorial ‘Caste count’ has rightly observed that caste data could harden social divisions and exacerbate competitive populism. The government would have to be more vigilant while carrying out this task. Any deficiency or lapses will derail the initiative.

Subhash C Taneja, Gurugram

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