Shaheen Bagh protests

This refers to the editorial, ‘Shaheen Bagh’ (Oct 9); the protests were largely spontaneous, mostly leaderless, sheltered under the portraits and banners of the founding fathers of the Constitution along with the Tricolour, with the agitationists demanding the rollback of a law that specifically excludes Muslims from its promise of fast-tracked citizenship to religious minorities. In its response, the government sought to label the protests as anti-national, and even criminalise them. By ignoring it, the Supreme Court constricts the definition of the public sphere.

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SS Paul, Nadia

Unfit cops

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rightly pulled up the Punjab Police for having unfit cops entrusted with the task of raiding drug peddlers and bootleggers. It is not only physical fitness but a bigger malaise which facilitates the escape of accused from the spot. Apart from agility, it is the deliberate willful act of cops which helps the accused flee from the spot with an intent to weaken the case in lieu of illegal gratification. There is a need to identify the black sheep in the force besides overhauling the primitive mechanism associated with the raids.

Anil Vinayak, Amritsar

Justified or not

This refers to the news item ‘Accused write to SP, hint at honour killing’ (Oct 9); how can it be ascertained that what the accused have said in the letter is true? Definitely these four men want to save themselves by saying ridiculous things about the victim’s family. The two sides, that of the accused and the victim, only want to prove their point. Between them, justice will not be served. And again it will take another few years to get justice.

Nikita Bhati, Rajasthan

Why such rumours?

The media, apart from being the fourth pillar of democracy, is a powerful source of information. When people lose all hope of getting justice, the media helps them raise their voice. If the media is being trusted, then why are they indulging in unhealthy rivalry? By doing so, they are losing respect and only trying to gain publicity. Much wrong stuff is shown without evidence which creates anger among the people.

Ekta Sharma, Gurugram

Paswan leaves a void

The death of Ram Vilas Paswan will lead to a paradigm shift in the Bihar elections. Paswan had an uncanny acumen of reading the political pulse, which his son, Chirag, seems to have inherited. The issues in Bihar are numerous, but this time, it will be a plebiscitary election for Nitish Kumar, and may even see a re-run of the Maharashtra post-election scene, with the BJP calling the shots along with the LJP, and Nitish as a bronze medallist. This was evident with the exit of the LJP from the Bihar alliance.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur

Ayush protocol

Apropos of ‘IMA questions Centre’s Ayush Covid protocol’ (Oct 9). It is really surprising that Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has advocated Ayush protocol for Covid patients. It’s unbelievable that the minister, who is himself an ENT specialist, can recommend Ashwagandha and Chyawanprash for the treatment of Covid. Would Vardhan care to inform the nation as to how many of his ministerial colleagues have been cured of Covid by these ayurvedic medicines? The IMA is justified in trashing this unsubstantiated treatment protocol.

Balbir Singh Kakkar, Jalandhar

Tale of two girls

Of the two girls, one from Hathras and another from Bollywood, the former’s story is far more heart-rending as it is about the Dalits who continue to suffer at grassroots level. The whole incident is mysterious and reeks of connivance and conspiracy. Not much is expected to come out from the inquiries. Rhea Chakraborty too has endured ordeal and if the charges against her prove to be inconclusive, it will only point to the way in which sensitive cases are handled in the country.

BM Singh, Amritsar

IAF strength

Refer to the news item ‘IAF to scale up combat capability: Bhadauria’ (Oct 9); the induction of the proposed 125 advanced combat jets will help plug the shortages, but the procurement will take some years to complete. The painfully slow procurement process, therefore, needs to be hastened. Otherwise, its very purpose would be defeated. Let us also desist from raising unnecessary controversies as has happened in the Rafale deal. Indigenous production of fighter jets is fast picking up. There has to be a judicious mix. Over-dependence on one source of supply should be avoided. Wg Cdr CL Sehgal (retd), Jalandhar

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