Prepare for more hoax messages

Apropos of ‘Delhi bomb scare’; such hoax calls and mails have become a new means for miscreants to rattle the law enforcement agencies. A similar threat was sent to airports recently. It hints at the presence of a large network of criminals trying to disrupt everyday life by causing a scare. This calls for a thorough investigation into the hoax. With another month of elections left, more such attempts should be anticipated. Making rules for the issue of SIM cards more stringent and improving the technology to help cyber cells trace the senders of such messages in less time can make a difference.

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Col RS Narula (retd), Patiala

Improve trans-border cooperation

Refer to the editorial ‘Delhi bomb scare’; the hoax follows similar incidents in Kolkata and Chennai. The police probe should not be hindered by the absence of a cooperation mechanism for a cross-border probe. Tracing the culprits as soon as possible and ensuring strict punishment for them are crucial for curbing this menace of bomb hoaxes. Unfortunately, India is not a signatory to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, through which nations can jointly investigate and share e-evidence. There is an urgent need to facilitate trans-border cybercrime investigations.

Lajwant Singh, by mail

Weaponisation of Central agencies

Apropos of the editorial ‘ED under fire’; the agency is being used as a weapon by the Centre to target its political adversaries. Opposition leaders are being incarcerated on flimsy grounds so that their political careers are ruined. Clearly, the probe agency is playing a partisan role to appease its political masters. The influence of the ruling regime on the functioning of the ED is too palpable to deny. Reportedly, over 95 per cent of the politicians who have come under the ED scanner since 2014 are Opposition leaders. The Supreme Court has rightly questioned the timing of the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the ED. The delicate balance between the pursuit of justice and the protection of civil liberties must not be disturbed.

Roshan Lal Goel, by mail

Anti-Semitism on varsity campus

With reference to the editorial ‘Pro-Palestine protests’; the demonstrations by students at Columbia University and other campuses across America have their roots in the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. It is an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campaign. The protesters must not forget that most Palestinian leaders are radicals and Jew haters. While there is nothing wrong with the youth wanting to bring about a radical change, they must not cross limits. The students, who come from diverse backgrounds, are there for studies. They have no business influencing the US foreign policy.

Krishan Bhatia, Hansi

Ban on Covishield a must

Apropos of the editorial ‘Covid vaccine row’; in view of AstraZeneca’s admission about its Covid vaccine causing thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a worldwide ban should be imposed on the jab, which is known as Covishield in India. Even the WHO had reported last year the emergence of TTS in individuals who had got the vaccine. TTS can be life-threatening. Further research should be carried out on other adverse events caused by the vaccine. Medical experts must study its long-term side effects and make the masses aware of them. A ban on the vaccine is a must to save lives.

PV Srinivas Sreelekha, Secunderabad

Failure of India’s drug regulator

Refer to ‘Covid vaccine row’; a vast majority of Indian adults received the Covishield vaccine. It is shameful that the Centre and drug regulatory authorities have yet to start an investigation into the matter, despite AstraZeneca’s admission in court about the jab causing TTS. It simply shows that India’s drug regulator failed to do its job. Several spurious medicines and food products containing harmful ingredients produced in India have been banned in other nations. How can the serious side effects of the Covid jab be ignored? An inquiry into the matter is the need of the hour.

Wg Cdr JS Minhas (retd), Mohali

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