The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, October 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I L B A G

Need for introspection

After the barbaric attack on Parliament and Akshardham, it is clear that nothing is beyond the reach of the terrorists unless we do something concrete to thwart their nefarious designs.

It is clear that the attack on Akshardham was a reaction to Gujarat carnage. By saying that it was a sign of despair on the part of the militants, the BJP cannot absolve itself from fomenting communal hatred in the state.

If Mr Narendra Modi could avert the communal backlash of Akshardham’s attack why he couldn’t do so in the case of Godhara? In a way, vested interests of our leaders who lack vision are helping the enemy in fulfilling his designs. Hatred begets hatred. Today Gujarat seems to be caught in a vicious circle of communal frenzy.

Ironically, instead of introspection and owning responsibility, we simply divert the needle of suspicion towards ISI and Pakistan because it is very easy. Pakistan has also blamed India for the attacks on Christians in Pakistan. The question is whether we are sincere and honest towards solving the problems that beset India today.

So long we play upon the communal feelings for our vote bank, we cannot expect any improvement. We must restore the confidence of the people in the system.

JOGA SINGH QADIAN, Chandigarh

THE FIRST QUESTION: Those who were killed at Akshardham were ordinary people who went to the temple and might have wished for peace for mind, the well-being of near and dear ones or any such things, but certainly not at the cost of their lives. The first question that came to mind was — Where was God at that time? What was He doing? I have been a believer throughout my life but such tragedies tend to shake me a bit.

Is it because He is God and we believe in Him that we can’t protest or complain to Him? Is it not that either He is not doing His duty or that we are expecting too much from Him.

Just two days back, I came to know of a 14-year-old extremely intelligent and gifted girl child who had lost her mother at an early age. Is this too not a crime on His part?

Those ‘terrorists’ were not human beings. Their group consists of low-grade animals who have no soul, no virtues or spirit. The commando who sacrificed his life too was not an ordinary human. They are Shahids and I salute them. But what about ordinary people, the common man? I must say that the near and dear ones of those killed are let down by God and I too to some extent.

VINISH GARG, Panchkula

INTERESTING COUPLET: Even Pakistan and its tools are doling out sympathies for us over the temple carnage in Gujarat. This reminds me of the following couplet of Surinder Soz Pandit:

Jis laash ko maine chandan mein sajja rakha hai,

Woh katal bhi mere hi

isharon se hua hai.

RAM SARAN BHATIA, Faridabad

HEINOUS ACT: How long we are going to accept and tolerate such heinous acts against the innocent people. It is time we reduced Pakistan to a nonentity.

We have the resources, manpower, military might and a truly professional and well-trained Army, Navy and Air Force which can give such a blow to the enemy that it would not be able to recover.

The days of finding diplomatic solution are truly over. The softpeddling must stop and it must be the end of the road for a nation whose military dictator should better wear bangles; rather than resorting to such inhuman acts.

Brig S.K. VERMA (retd), Ludhiana

GANDHI’S GUJARAT: For a while, close your eyes and think about the three monkeys which spread the message of not to hear evil, not to see evil and not to talk evil. First, Godhra carnage, then the post-Godhra happenings and now the barbaric massacre of devotees who came to pay obeisance at the temple. Nature has its own treatment of such incidents. Time is the supreme healer.

In Gujarat, the communal frenzy has crossed its limits. When Gandhi was alive, politics was a role model of every citizen, but today petty politics reigns supreme.

Dr JASVINDER SINGH, Ludhiana

Should Salman Khan get away with anything?

At 3 a.m., Salman Khan ploughed his vehicle through the poor labourers sleeping on a Mumbai pavement. He ran away from the spot and surrendered himself eight hours later and managed to obtain bail by executing a bond for a funny amount of Rs 950.

It raises curtain fundamental questions. First, Salman ran away leaving the dead body and the injured to fend for themselves or die at an hour when no help could be possible for these helpless victims. If he were not absolutely drowned in liquor and had some little sense of responsibility, the minimum he could do was to take these victims for medical help. May be the unfortunate victim might have responded to the treatment.

Hitting the people sleeping on the pavement changes the very nature of the offence under which he should have been charged. The proper section of the Indian Penal Code was 304 and not 304A as provisions of 304A apply to cases where there could be no possibility of knowledge on part of the accused that the act done had any probability of causing death, whereas in this case there was a strong probability that it was likely to cause death. In the BMW case of Delhi, the circumstances were identical, but there was no question of immediate bail.

The accused was subjected to medical examination eight hours later when the effect of liquor would have worn out with the passage of time and also by administering suitable drugs and therapy. It is more of a cover-up and a celebrity can always get away. If he does not come and attend the court, he has only to pay Rs 950 for killing one and injuring four. What a compensation of Rs 158 per injured and Rs 306 for the deceased, if the rate in case of death is two times the rate for injuries! What a great value we attach to human life! But is it not an adequate compensation from a celebrity for the poor, downtrodden treated as scum of society? The basic question is why law has become a party?

B.R.LALL, IPS, Chandigarh