Rein in hate crime

With reference to the editorial ‘Indian students in peril’; the death of yet another Indian student in the US is a matter of concern. It calls for effective steps to rein in racially motivated crimes and anti-social activities. The Indian-origin students in America must be assured of their safety. Such incidents need to be thoroughly investigated to determine the root cause, and the perpetrators should be dealt with sternly. US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti’s assertion that his government is ‘very committed’ to making Indians realise that America is a safe place to study will ring hollow if such criminal activities are not curbed on priority.

Ravi Sharma, Dhariwal

Check anti-Indian propaganda

Refer to ‘Indian students in peril’; the recent spate of deaths of Indian students in the US has sparked concerns about the safety of members of the Indian diaspora there. Many young Indians migrate to countries like the US, the land of opportunities, for higher education. Some of them face racial discrimination or become targets of hate crime. There is a need to counter the negative propaganda against the Indian community in the West, leading to racially motivated attacks on innocent Indians. It is unfortunate that American laws often fail to protect the interests of the victims of such attacks and their families. 

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Protection from climate crisis

Apropos of ‘Climate change’; the verdict given by the European Court of Human Rights affirming protection from the impact of climate change as a human right is historic. India’s Supreme Court has also stressed that citizens have a right to be shielded from the detrimental effects of the crisis. This will encourage activists to hold governments accountable for all types of environmental disasters, ranging from floods to droughts. Nations should make joint efforts to limit global warming. More needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are critical gaps in the environmental sustainability policies being followed by several nations. The recent legal victories can help deliver justice to billions of people affected by natural disasters.

Gaurav Kochhar, Yamunanagar

Hit the brakes on speeding

With reference to the news report ‘Bathinda schoolboy crashes speeding car into tree, killed’; the boy’s parents are to blame for the incident. No parent should allow their underage wards to drive cars. The youngster, who was reportedly obsessed with speed, had posted videos showing his car being driven around 160-180 km per hour. He was driving the car at a breakneck speed, and it ultimately ended in his death. The traffic police need to do more to check the menace of rash driving before it claims more lives. Any person crossing the speed limits must receive strict punishment.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Sangrur

Parents’ negligence costs life

Refer to the report ‘Bathinda schoolboy crashes speeding car into tree, killed’; the youngster could have hit pedestrians with his car, injuring or killing them. He could have also crashed into a bigger vehicle, like a bus or truck, embroiling the driver in a legal case without any fault on the latter’s part. It is telling that the deceased was a minor. The incident was a direct outcome of gross negligence on the part of his parents. In such cases, legal action must be taken against the parents. They must not be spared.

Ravinder Mittal, by mail

A fatal obsession

Apropos of ‘Bathinda schoolboy crashes speeding car into tree, killed’; the death of Uday Partap Singh, a 16-year-old student of Class XI, is tragic. It has come to light that the teenager had posted videos that showed him driving his car around at a speed of 160-180 km per hour. The boy’s parents and the traffic police personnel are to blame for the tragedy. Besides, it was not an isolated incident of overspeeding. Such cases involving youngsters have occurred in the past. It is time for the authorities concerned and parents to make efforts to help youngsters get over their obsession with speed.

Vijaya Sharma, by mail

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