L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Khemka is being victimised

After reading very upsetting reports about the victimisation of Haryana cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka for standing by the truth, one is reminded of the last dialogue in G.B. Shaw’s Saint Joan: “O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints? How long? O Lord, how long?”

It appears that the Congress government in the state and the UPA government in the Centre have unleashed a reign of terror. This is very disenchanting for anybody who wants to speak for honesty and integrity in public life. The Congress has a long and inglorious history of snubbing, stifling, strangulating and even liquidating opposition.

Khemka is not getting the kind of support he should get from fellow officers, social activists and even the media. If we allow such voice of honesty to be muffled like this, we have no right to speak against corruption. But let me remind the powers-that-be:

“Aawaaz dabaane se ubhar jaati hai,
Bue-gul band richon se nikal jaati hai,
Zindgi apna lahu de kar nikhar jaati hai,
Maut jab insaan se takraati he to mar jaati hai.”

(If you snub a voice, it will become louder,
Fragrance will find its way from a closed door,
Sacrifice makes a life shine all the more,
Death itself dies, when honesty comes to the fore.)

Dr DINESH SHARMA & ANITA MATHUR, Pathankot

Test of CBI

This refers to the editorial ‘CBI put to test’ (October 22). The CBI is indeed stuck between a rock and a hard place in the case of allocation of coal blocks by the UPA government to the Birla-owned company, Hindalco. The SC and the PMO must be breathing down its neck.

The CBI, therefore, cannot afford to adopt a perfunctory approach in the follow-up action. The preparation of a foolproof suit against those involved in the alleged scam is a must in order to prove its professional integrity and proficiency. The vested interests will leave no stone unturned to trip the CBI so that its credibility is undermined and it thinks twice before going after big guns.

TARSEM SINGH, Langeri

II

The CBI is an independent agency and it can cover even the Prime Minister of India. If the PM is found guilty, he too will face the charges regarding coal supply. When this coal supply was made in 2005, Dr Manmohan Singh was not the Prime Minister. We should be happy that some things are being probed into. We should go back and probe into all such deals since 1952-53 because no deals are clean. People in politics have joined this line just to collect money because politics for them is a profession, trade, calling and employment and they have not joined it to serve the people. To collect money, politicians have invented new methods like scams, scandals, muddles and commissions. Let the CBI take up all these deals, presuming that they were not clean.

Dalip Singh Wasan, Patiala

Unjustified delay

The way Bapu Asaram’s son Narain Sai has been dodging the police force of various states for the last few days shows incompetency of the law enforcement agency. The person against whom a lookout notice has been there for almost a month remains at large and untraceable. The judiciary too is not far behind. Narain’s anticipatory bail application filed around 15 days ago is still pending with the court. His bail plea should have been rejected straightaway. Is it an attempt to give Narain enough time to visit his ashrams and destroy incriminating documents and material, which could lead to astonishing disclosures?

PROF DHIRAJ TRIKHA, Bhiwani

Encounter with ‘Mr Imandaar’ As I alighted from a CTU bus at Kisan Bhawan in Sector 35 the other day, I hurriedly reached out to grab a cycle rickshaw for ISBT, Sector 43. As my hand searched my pocket, I realised that my purse was missing. Immediately I recalled that I had left my purse on the bus seat. It contained my debit/credit cards, driving licence and around Rs 10,000 cash. Shocked, I was unable to think straight about what to do. I asked the rickshaw-puller to take me to the Sector 17 bus stand, where the CTU bus was bound to go. Although chances of getting my valuables were remote, something kept me going with the belief that I might get it. As I reached the Sector 17 roundabout, my mobile phone rang. I answered to an unknown number, hoping that someone might be calling to return my purse. “Is this Mr S.S. Tokhi?” came the voice from other side. “Yes, yes,” I replied, my heart pounding. “Were you travelling by a CTU bus just now?” I was pretty sure now: this is the man I am looking for. I narrated to him the entire episode of losing my wallet. He told me that he was waiting for me at the scooter stand, wearing a red turban. I rushed to the spot to find a young man in a red turban, waiting for me. He handed over the purse to me, and left in haste, not even giving me a chance to express my gratitude. He told me that his name was Giandeep Singh. I gave him the name ‘Mr Imandar’. I am sure many such people exist in society and honesty prevails. SATNAM SINGH TOKHI, Zirakpur