Disservice to cause

What Deep Sidhu has done is highly condemnable and unforgivable. He has not only brought discredit to the peaceful farmers’ movement, but has also done great disservice to the innocent and compassionate supporters of the movement. Above all, he has done disservice to the Sikh community which was yet struggling to come clean out of the malicious government propaganda. Sikhs, like all other communities in the world, love their religion, but they also love their country. Deep Sidhu and all the misguided youth should not have been allowed to leave the Red Fort. Why were they not arrested there and then?

Lalita Jagmohan Singh, by mail

Why no security?

Refer to the Red Fort incident and the unruly mob; the incident raises many questions: One, why did the Delhi Police allow these marchers passage other than the one decided upon? The video shows that while the protesters were fixing flags, there was no security around. It points to the connivance of the police or the lack of effective control. However, the incident should not be given a communal colour as the intention of the farmers was to conduct a peaceful tractor march.

Gurmit Singh Saini, Mohali

‘Andolan’ hijacked

As the nation was celebrating its 72nd Republic Day, protesters brandishing sharp-edged weapons, deviating from the designated routes, and driving tractors amok proved that the peaceful ‘kisan andolan’ had indeed been hijacked and misused by the anti-national forces. These hooligans are riding on the coat-tails of innocent farmers to serve their vested interests. They need to be put behind bars before they further push the entire nation into a chaotic state of anarchy.

UPANT SHARMA, PANCHKULA

Citadel breached

It is shocking to observe that on Republic Day, some goons under the cover of kisan agitation breached the precincts of the Red Fort, a symbol of the country’s citadel. While such an act is to be deplored, how was it allowed to happen? It is a sure failure of the police and intelligence authorities. There was no police at the Red Fort to stop the goons from hoisting a religious flag. Alas, it could have been prevented. Earlier, the Fort had a garrison battalion of the Army, but it was the ASI who got it vacated in order to preserve the monument. And lo and behold, they have handed it over to the goons for anti-national activities on a platter. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to book at the earliest.

Col Mahesh Chadha (retd), by mail

Deplorable act

The unfortunate happening on the precincts of the Red Fort is unprecedented in the annals of living memory. Miscreants in the guise of farmers unfurled the flag of a particular religion on the rampart of this historical monument where hitherto only the Tricolour used to be hoisted. Nothing can be more deplorable than this act by some misguided persons. The blame for this horrendous act lies squarely on the shoulders of farmer leaders. Unnecessarily, a chance has been given to the government to label this agitation as that of ‘Khalistani’ and anti-national elements. Such repugnant acts can only be seen as the beginning of the end of an otherwise very peaceful agitation.

Balbir Singh Kakkar, UK

Message lost

The farmers’ unions planned the unique idea of a tractor parade in Delhi to showcase their concerns in the form of a tableau. Working hard for a disciplined parade, it was a setback for them when an extremist group became violent and did what should have been avoided. The unions were already afraid of such chaos and had been repeatedly appealing for peace for the past many days. It was

heartbreaking for most people, especially the farmer leaders who were working for the wellbeing of the protest and the protesters.

The violence ruined the real idea of the tractor parade.

JAGDEEP BHUNGA, HOSHIARPUR

HC order stayed

A perpetrator of child sexual abuse was not held guilty by the Bombay High Court under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, just because there wasn’t any skin-to-skin contact. The Act does not mention disrobing as a factor in the crime of child molestation. This is a matter of violating the bodily integrity of the victim. There should be no ambiguity in child abuse cases, and loopholes, if any, must be plugged at once. It is praiseworthy that the Supreme Court has stayed the High Court order and issued a notice to the Maharashtra Government, besides permitting the Attorney General to file an appeal against the

January 19 verdict of the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court.

PS KAUR, by mail

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