Vinesh messed it up

Refer to the news report ‘Vinesh Phogat loses appeal, won’t get Olympics silver medal’; the grappler has let the whole country down. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has understandably turned down her petition to be jointly awarded silver in the 50-kg freestyle category. Vinesh already knew that she was overweight by over a hundred grams when she went in for the weigh-in. Why could she not see the disqualification coming? Notably, though the Haryana girl had led protests against the government over a year ago, she was still given the opportunity to represent India in the Games. But she still messed it up. Also, the fact that Vinesh earlier used to participate in the 53- and 55-kg categories but eventually shifted to the 50-kg category has raised a lot of eyebrows.

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Ashok Kumar Goel, Panchkula

No silver lining for wrestler

It is extremely unfortunate that Vinesh Phogat will not be receiving a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. She had stormed into the women’s 50-kg final on the back of three impressive wins, only to be disqualified for being overweight by over a hundred grams. World-class wrestlers like Vinesh must not be let down like this. It is time to tweak the rules that could cause athletes mental agony or demoralise them. Amending Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules to relax the norms and criteria will be a step in the right direction.

MD Sharma, Shimla

A mockery of justice

With reference to the editorial ‘A stain on justice’; it seems like the common man and well-connected bigwigs like Ram Rahim are not equal in the eyes of the law in this country. The frequent paroles and furloughs granted to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief are a blot on the justice delivery system. This will further erode public confidence in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. Allowing the sect leader to walk out of jail from time to time reflects a trend of brazen leniency towards a hardened criminal like Ram Rahim.

RC Garg, KotKapura

Babas have the world at their feet

Refer to ‘A stain on justice’; babas have long enjoyed special privileges in India. They profit off the blind faith that the masses repose in them. Everybody knows that Gurmeet Ram Rahim is a criminal. He raped his female disciples and got a journalist who had dared to expose him killed. And yet, he is let out of prison every now and then. It is no coincidence that he has been released on furlough ahead of the Assembly polls in Haryana. After all, it is common knowledge that politicians have long courted the influential godman to win over the voters. It is a shame.

Saroj Banyal, Hamirpur

Mayhem at Kolkata hospital

The Calcutta High Court recently handed over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case to the CBI. The HC also rebuked the state government on Friday for failing to prevent mob violence on the premises of the medical facility, rightly describing it as an “absolute failure of state machinery”. The Bench also expressed shock over how a mob of 7,000 hooligans could manage to throng the hospital and create a ruckus there. Imposing the President’s rule in the state for a while can defuse the situation.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Setback for medical aspirants

Apropos of the news report ‘MBBS fee hiked by 5%’; the decision to raise the course fee at all government and private medical colleges in Punjab by 5 per cent must be rolled back. The move is a setback for medical aspirants belonging to financially weak families. It is worth recalling that, ahead of the last Assembly elections, AAP had pledged to uplift the poor by making education more affordable. The Bhagwant Mann-led state government continues to issue public advertisements from time to time to tout the achievements of his administration on various fronts, including healthcare and education. But making medical education out of reach for thousands of aspirants exposes AAP’s real agenda.

Vitull K Gupta, Bathinda

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