M A I L B A G

Bringing Army closer to the people

New Chief of Army Staff General J.J. Singh has rightly assured the Army jawans that those engaged in the anti-insurgency operations will be induced to show human touch. For this purpose, they will have to show greater restraint. It has been shown clearly that disciplinary action in the Army is taken promptly for indiscipline and/or anti-human activities in such areas where as it takes years for the civil courts to take such action. This will bring the Army closer to the people’s hearts.

The Indian Army is one of the best fighting forces in the world. It is most disciplined and friendly to the local people, as compared to other agencies. Since the 1971 Indo-Pak war, it has not had a chance to fight ground battle except in the Kargil conflict in 1999.

For some time, the Army has been mostly engaged in the operations curbing the insurgent and terrorist activities of some misguided youths and groups in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East where some times it had to face the ire of some local people. This is because the people there have strong affinities with some of their own boys in such groups. General Singh’s call for a human touch is timely.

Major SARDAR SINGH (retd), Jalandhar City

Double standards

It is interesting to ponder over the US and its allies “liberation” of Iraq. President Bush had to do something after 9/11 terrorist bombings right in the US. He zeroed in on Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Saddam was becoming a threat to the Israel and the US puppet regimes of the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia and others.

India, Soviet Union and China used to get lectures on human rights, religious freedom and so on from the US and European nations. It was a strong moral stick to beat us. But examine what the US and its allies have done in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can call the whole scenario as controlled genocide. The US and the Western media are silent about them. The human rights organisations and the liberals have taken sabbaticals.

However, the silence of our own human rights organisations, NGOs, intellectuals, pseudo-secularists and Communists on the happenings in Iraq and Afghanistan are intriguing.

R.K. MANI, Mangalore

Provide CTU bus

The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking is commendably operating direct local bus service from PGI (via ISBT, Sector 17) to Sector 20, Panchkula, for the past three years. It shall earn the gratitude of the daily commuting public if it starts another local bus service from Sector 20, Panchkula (via Manimajra Housing Board Chowk, Transport Area, Purvmarg up to Tribune Chowk, Dakshin Marg and Kissan Bhavan) to ISBT, Sector 43, Chandigarh.

LALIT BHARDWAJ, Panchkula

Expedite cases of elders Though former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice Adarsh Sein Anand had directed the High Courts to dispose of cases of senior citizens on priority so that they could see justice in their life time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has done little in this regard. There are no separate fast track courts for litigants over 65 years for early clearance. In the general list, the cases relating to seniors are merely suffixed with the words ‘Senior Citizen’ which does not entitle seniors a preferential hearing over others. This is a violation of the apex court directive. Why can’t the senior citizens’ cases be grouped and placed first in the list to be followed by other cases? Otherwise, keep them independent of other cases for early hearing. The listing order should not be on sequence of their registration on entry in the High Court which is in chronological order. It should be from a subsequent date when the registry or the court, on the application of seniors, approve their eligibility in the preferential category. There should be an order and transparency in the system of case–listing to help senior citizens. Dr S.K. SHARMA, President, Senior Citizens’ Council (Haryana), Panchkula

Issue in question

Apropos of your news-item “Caste woman’s marriage to Dalit no ticket for poll quota” (Feb 1), the Supreme Court has ruled that “a forward caste woman has no right to contest election from a constituency reserved for the backward class”. While fully agreeing with the apex court’s ruling, I humbly ask a simple question:

If an Indian woman of high caste married to a Dalit man cannot be considered fit to represent Dalits in an election, how could a foreign person married to an Indian be deemed fit to represent India as the head of the government or even contest elections here?

I am not against Mrs Sonia Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister at any point of time. However, the Supreme Court ruling, if viewed in a broader perspective, automatically closes the door for persons of non-Indian origin to contest elections in India.

BILAL AHMED SHAMIM, Qadian

Synthetic milk

Apropos of the report on synthetic milk (Jan 5), the Centre and the states should make concerted efforts to nab those indulged in this heinous crime. Those found engaged in this trade should be awarded condign punishment. Further, it should be made mandatory for all agencies, private or government, dealing with the sale of milk and other allied dairy products, to print a declaration on each sachet/packet specifying clearly that it does not contain synthetic milk.

AVTAR SINGH, Mohali

Blot on society

Dowry is a big blot on Indian society. It is eating into the vitals of our society because nowadays not a day passes without reports of bride burning and harassment for dowry. In spite of so many legislations like the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, dowry deaths continue unabated. A lot more needs to be done in this direction. First, women should refuse to marry greedy bridegrooms, so that marriage, considered a sacrament, is not reduced to business.

TARANBIR KAUR,

Advocate, Districts Courts, Amritsar

II

There is large-scale misuse of the Anti-Dowry Act in my locality and even among my close relatives. People misuse this Act by making false complaints against the grooms’ family. The authorities concerned should look into matter. The need of the hour is to amend certain clauses and provisions in this Act so as to prevent their misuse.

VIKRANT VIJ, Nangal Township