The Myanmar military
It is shocking that India chose to attend the Armed Forces Day parade in Myanmar (“India attends Myanmar parade”, March 29). The military there, which overthrew the democratically elected government, has killed hundreds of civilians and lacks legitimacy. Many people in Myanmar are fleeing the country. The Rohingya too fled because of persecution by the military. Against this background, it behoves India to uphold democratic traditions and basic human rights. This could have been avoided.
M.P. Muralidharan,
Bengaluru
Selective restrictions
The government seems to be selective in its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. Educational institutions are closed, people are advised to stay at home during Holi, but election rallies are held. There seems to be no physical distancing at these rallies and few wear masks. While institutions and festival gatherings can give rise to COVID-19 clusters, what’s the guarantee that rallies won’t?
Khushboo Ved,
Ujjain
No transparency
The Reserve Bank of India and the Election Commission have expressed reservations about the electoral bonds scheme, but it is unlikely that there will be any review of the scheme because the ruling party has gained the most from it (“Opacity rules”, March 29). Only the Supreme Court can remedy this, but it has again declined to stay the scheme. This is unfortunate for our democracy.
S.S. Paul,
Chakdaha, Nadia
Counter Islamophobia
The writer has rightly proposed that the laity should introspect and challenge theocratic exceptionalism to counter Islamophobia (“An antidote to Islamophobia, within and beyond”, March 29). Resentment towards any faith arises only from fear of disorder and threats to peaceful coexistence in the face of radical assertions of religiosity. The tragedy of human conflicts has been the passive role of the silent majority that either remains indifferent or is cowered into submission by the radical minority. Deference to theological imperatives will undermine the fundamentals of secular citizenship.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Why should Muslim scholars in India apologise for and condemn activities that take place in other countries? Does the writer genuinely believe that the problems faced by India’s Muslims will be solved if the clergy apologises for atrocities that take place in faraway places like Turkey? That the lynchings and active discrimination here will stop? If the anti-Muslim sentiment is rising in India, it is the result of a deliberate and sustained campaign of fake news and institutionalised hatred. This tendency to put the onus of avoiding violence on Muslims is a form of victim blaming and takes attention away from the fact that they have been preyed on by Islamophobic forces that alienate and actively attack them.
Zayan Asif,
Mahe
Revisiting laws
This is not the first time that an old issue is being resurrected (“The needless resurrection of a buried issue”, March 29). Several decisions of the Supreme Court are challenged through petitions. This might be a sensitive issue, but there’s nothing wrong in the court simply issuing notice and seeking a response.
Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao,
Vijayawada
