Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Grisly killings

The grisly killing of children in Noida allegedly by a businessman and his servant is one of the latest instances of police indifference. It is incomprehensible that the police did not heed the complaints of missing children. Nandlal, father of one of the victims, has expressed the fear of reprisal from the police. That even after almost 60 years of independence, the police have not shed their colonial mindset is disturbing. They continue to fake encounters and are still seen as an oppressive force by the people. The need of the hour is to make them understand that they are friends, not masters, of the people.

K. Abdul Nassar,
Aluva

* * *

The callousness and the criminal apathy of the police officials concerned are quite obvious. Their behaviour speaks about the way in which crime is handled and investigated by the police in India. It points to the administrative bias against the poor. This criminal apathy should be viewed seriously. The public opprobrium over the Noida episode should awaken the administrators to the urgency to reform the police force.

Bichu Muttathara,
Pune

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While the Uttar Pradesh police deserve condemnation for their dereliction of duty, Sonia Gandhi's indignation over lawlessness in the State smacks of hypocrisy and opportunism. In the Congress-ruled States of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in the past year alone. What has the UPA Government done to stop this? Unlike the victims of the Nithari murders who were killed by psychopaths, the farmers are being done to death by politico-bureaucratic indifference.

V. Venkatasubramanian,
Mumbai

* * *

It is shocking to find Atal Bihari Vajpayee echoing Ms. Gandhi's views on the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

How can a Chief Minister be blamed for serial killings when corrupt police personnel refuse to register FIRs or do not bring the crimes to the notice of higher officials? Politicising each and every issue is not a healthy trend.

V. Anand Rao,
Chennai

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It is unfortunate that even gruesome killings of innocent children can become readymade opportunities for politicians to fish in troubled waters. It is amusing to find Mr. Vajpayee exhorting the Centre to intervene in Uttar Pradesh. The same person advised Narendra Modi to perform raj dharma after innocent citizens of Gujarat were butchered in broad daylight as part of the State-sponsored program in 2002. This is not to justify the Noida killings or exonerate the U.P. Government.

Mr. Vajpayee's double speak is appalling and shows the bankruptcy in his thinking. It reflects the politicians' tendency to bicker among themselves, leaving the victims aside.

K.M.V.G. Krishna Murthy,
Ravulaplem, A.P.

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It is well known that our politicians enjoy fishing in troubled waters. The Nithari killings are a classic example. All the parties are suddenly demanding the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government. This is not because of their concern for those who have lost their children. It is because they see an opportunity to score points.

Captain K. Vasudevan (retd.),
Coimbatore

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