It was shocking to see suspended policeman Abdul Ahad Jan hurl a shoe at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the Independence Day celebrations on Sunday. Throwing a shoe at a leader in protest is unfortunately becoming common. Whatever the grievance, this is no way to react. Jan should be punished for his behaviour.
Sankar Venkatesh,
Tiruchi
One wonders how Jan who, according to the police, is a criminal against whom many cases have been registered, gained entry in the VIP pavilion. The shoe-hurling craze is spreading fast. It is perhaps done to gain media attention.
Jan, a policeman, was not expected to resort to such an act of indiscipline. But a policeman is also human and we must see the incident in a broader context. It is impossible for a man with a Kashmiri heart to control his emotions when politicians behave as though everything is normal.
Syed Adfar Rashid Shah,
New Delhi
