As one who has watched many south Indian mafia action movies, I wondered on reading the report on the “republic of fear” in Bellary (June 18) whether G. Janardhan Reddy of Karnataka was inspired by such movies or it was the other way round. What better can be expected from the political-bureaucratic-corporate nexus? In a country where the government refuses to disclose the names of those who have stashed away black money abroad and where half of the elected candidates have cases pending against them, such happenings are quite natural.
Ripon Sarker, Howrah
Sudipto Mondal’s report shows how thuggery and dadagiri of people in power empty our scarce resources. The rule of law exists only in books. It is the same story in many States. It is the coal mafia, the sand mafia, the petroleum mafia, the forest mafia — every precious resource is in the hands of dons and they are nurtured by the political mafia.
J.V.V. Murthy, Coimbatore
Keywords: Bellary mining, mining mafia, Janardhan Reddy