M A I L B A G

Sorry, he does not deserve mercy

Dhananjay Chatterjee, who has been awarded death sentence for raping and killing an innocent girl, Hetal Parekh, must be hanged. It is shameless that Dhananjay's family is still not sorry for the heinous crime of their son.

Though the punishment will not bring back Hetal, it may give some solace to her parents and convince them that at least they do not live in a shameless society. It may give confidence and hope to our daughters and sisters who are now battling similar fears. Parents of the man to be hanged should have told their son that if he did anything of this sort, they would commit suicide, and this is what each parent should tell a son.

Further painful is the schizophrenic response of some intellectuals and human rights groups. These are the same people who make noise when the police does not take any action when such crimes are committed. They only want to be "seen" as good human beings. Recently, a Judge in Mumbai sentenced a teacher to death for a similar crime and noted that "he is a beast in human body." Dhananjay should be hanged and criminal proceedings should be started against his parents and the so-called intellectuals for siding with such a person.

Let us give a message to our daughters that we are not only encouraging their arrival into this world but also giving them an environment for leading honourable and fearless life.

Prof K. K. GARG, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh

Ostracise the rapist

Apropos of Reeta Sharma's write-up "Stricken by fear" (June 19), it is a pity that there is an alarming rise in crimes against women in Punjab where Guru Nanak declared: "So kiyon manda aakhi-ai jit jammey raajaan" (why should she, who gave birth to Rajas, be disparaged)...

In her suicide note Usha Rani had mentioned the names of the culprits and remarked that they "deserved death by hanging". The police should pursue the case vigorously to punish them adequately. They should be ostracised by the people of their villages.

BHAGWAN SINGH, Qadian

Parking woes

I am a regular blood donor and possess a "master card". The PGI authorities have issued a sticker to all "master card" holders for free parking in the hospital complex. I have clearly pasted the sticker on the windshield of my car, but in spite of that, the attendants at the parking lot ask for the "master card" and the driving licence too. They have no right to do so.

SANJAY KHURANA, Chandigarh

National asset

The editorial "Muddled waters" (June 10) rightly says that we should treat our rivers as national assets. Most parts of India are suffering from water shortage. It is not easy to find solutions to the riparian disputes like those over the SYL canal and the Cauvery waters when parochial elements are in control. Instead, a centralised model such as river linking will iron out regional considerations for the final benefit of all communities. Therefore, drastic measures are called for, and the obvious solution is to kickstart the river-interlinking project.

Environmentalists should accept that there is no escaping a centralised approach in a polity like ours. Every year, during the monsoon, millions of gallons of water goes from the major rivers into the sea, which, if harnessed, would help solve India's water problems.

As much as 92 per cent of the country's water resources are used for agricultural purposes. Drought has extended its tentacles to areas lush and barren, claiming the lives of thousands of farmers. River linking has become too urgent to be debated further.

K. M. VASHISHT, New Delhi

Women in distress

This refers to Kiran Bedi's thought-provoking write-up "Taking care of women in distress" (June 20). The story of Omita is heart-rending. It is happening with so many girls who fall prey to NRI bridegrooms. No doubt, all this happens in India also, but here so many agencies or institutions are there to help girls in distress.

Contact centres, where a girl in distress may get help, must be there. The NRIs, through various NGOs, must make people aware of these centres. The NRI cells may also provide requisite information and guidance to the parents of girls and educate the community.

SUDESH KUMAR SHARMA, Kapurthala

Misusing the law

The rampant misuse of two anti-dowry provisions laid down in Sections 498-A and 406 of the IPC is much more dangerous than that of POTA which is worrying politicians. It should be revised and made compoundable and bailable, as suggested by Justice J. D. Kapoor of the Delhi High Court.

S.P. SINGH, Hoshiarpur