Pegasus case
The stand the Government continues to take on the Pegasus issue is unacceptable (Page 1, “SC to pass interim orders in Pegasus issue”, September 14). Sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of people on whether the Government is not telling the complete truth is the real security challenge.
Hemachandra Basappa,
Bengaluru
National security should not be allowed to become a pretext to practise cloak and dagger operations against citizens. The Government’s rigid stand only shows its scant regard for democratic rights and the rule of law. Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of a constitutional democracy. Popular expectation is that the top court will snub a government that snoops to conquer.
M. Jameel Ahmed,
Mysuru
In the name of security, we are gradually becoming a surveillance society. Using the subject of national security, the Government cannot conveniently refrain from disclosing the details of those citizens who were alleged to have come under surveillance.
The Israeli firm is clear in saying that the software is for sale to governments alone, so if the authorities had no role in this, they should investigate and disclose who used this software without permission.
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
Farewell column
In his weekly columns as the Readers’ Editor, The Hindu , A.S. Panneerselvan educated us and made us understand what real journalism means and how difficult it is for a newspaper to be balanced and still survive after being forthright and honest. There can be no second opinion that on Mondays, most readers like me have turned to the OpEd page first the moment we received the daily. Readers will miss ASP.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Mental health and help
When it comes to addressing mental health, there is perhaps more awareness of help being at hand and a highlighting of reaching out to helplines. However, the experience is far from satisfactory. Even mental health apps such as “Wysa” and Netflix websites used by teenagers such as “wannatalkaboutit.com” list hotlines that do not even exist. One needs to look at China, where despite its population, it has a publicly funded mental health programme. India needs to emulate this.
Government helplines in particular need to offer a wider range of services. Students need to be made aware of the Aarogya helpline, the womens’ helpline and the child helpline, and in what situations to use them. Students will be quite confident to face problems that come their way.
Ada Jain,
Bengaluru
