Unfortunate death

If there is one lesson that can be learnt from Sunanda Pushkar’s death, it is that one should never make his/her private life public — on social media or otherwise (“Sunanda death ‘sudden and unnatural," Jan. 19). Social media needs to be used for healthy interaction and not for mud-slinging. This applies even more to celebrities.

K. Chidanand Kumar,

Bangalore

It is sad that a senior journalist from a well-known television channel revealed during a programme on Friday night a private conversation that Pushkar had had with her just a few hours before her death. Television is for reporting issues of public concern, not for making public the private lives of public figures. The journalist should have reported the conversation only to investigating agencies to bring out the truth behind the death. No wonder Justice Markandey Katju, the Press Council of India Chairman, has been coming down hard on the electronic media.

K. Pradeep,

Chennai

The real crime was to leave a depressed patient alone and that too with enough antidepressants to allow her an overdose. The real question is if doctors had warned Shashi Tharoor about this and if yes, if he ignored the warning deliberately.

Titus Sankaramangalam,

Tiruvalla, Kerala

As a committed reader of your newspaper for over 30 years, I found it repulsive to see the news item on the unfortunate death getting prominence on Page 1, even when she was not an important public figure. I am at a loss to understand as to how such a personal tragedy in the life of a politician could generate wholesome news value acceptable to all sections of the public.

K. Chellappan,

Chennai

I extend my condolences to Mr. Tharoor on the death of his wife. Has the Minister been made a punching bag by others? In our State [Kerala], the blame game has commenced. It is pathetic to see that leaders from the Opposition parties are using the situation to score political points. Do they not possess at least some humanitarian consideration?

Aneeta Joseph,

Kochi