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Killings in Orissa deplorable

The Orissa government has completely failed to resolve the Kandhamal problem. The poor people have fled to the forest and are living in fear and hunger. They have been cramped in the schoolrooms now.

This area has been inhabited by extremely poor families and has become a hunting ground for religious preachers for conversion and reconversion into Christianity and Hinduism and vice-versa. Nobody tries to convert their poverty into prosperity. The district administration has failed to nab the killers of Swami Laxmananand Saraswati and disclose their identity. The activists too have gone scot-free.

When there was violence in Nandigram, most BJP leaders raised a hue and cry for the right reasons. Strangely, they have worn a cloak of silence this time. Is it because of the reported involvement of the VHP and Bajrang Dal in the unprecedented violence? Why is this conspiracy of silence on the part of the BJP?

RAM NIWAS MALIK, Gurgaon

II

The brutal killing of innocent people and the attack on churches in Orissa’s Kandhamal district need to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Who has given the right to some people to kill their brethren?

I very much appreciate the coordinated response of all the convent schools in the country to the events in Orissa. They aptly closed schools for a day in protest against the killings. Clearly, no religion teaches violence and killings. The biggest religion is humanity and I appeal to all sections of society to maintain peace and not to create communal walls on the path of humanity.

MEENA VERMA, St Francis School, Tarn Taran

III

The editorial, “Christians under attack” (Aug 30) was very bold. It shook everybody’s conscience. In the first place, the brutal murder of Swami Laxmananand Saraswati was shocking and unpardonable. The incidents that followed were a national shame. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh aptly called it a “shame on the nation”.

But then, the blame squarely rests on both the Centre and the state. Since politicians want the minority vote, they ignore the real cause of the problem.

The Centre should not look the other way. There is unrest everywhere and the Centre and the states should take effective measures to stop religious conversions. The government must protect all citizens irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.

SANTOSH KUMAR, Dabwali

IV

I read the editorial, “Dance of death” (Sept 6). Every killing irrespective of the communal denomination of the victims is extremely condemnable. Loss of precious life is egregiously repugnant. The real point is that conversion in every case is fraught with danger. The murder of faith of a person is as despicable as of his body.

People should live according to the tenets of the faith of the family in which they are born; they need not bother themselves and the others about the customs they choose for the salvation of their souls.

The urge and the attempt to raise the numbers of the adherents of a creed are simply devilish and absolutely irreligious.

In fact, worship of a God is a truly personal and private affair of an individual. Incidentally, it will do one good if one reads the report of the Neogi Commission which studied the communal forays in Madhya Pradesh some time back.

CHAMAN LAL KORPAL, Amritsar

No direct bus service

The need for a direct bus from Gurdaspur to Jammu has long been felt by those hailing from areas adjoining Gurdaspur district. Daily commuters including government employees and students are facing hardship.

In the absence of a direct bus service from Gurdaspur, the people have to depend on the Jammu-bound buses coming from Amritsar. These buses are often full with direct passengers. Those boarding buses at Gurdaspur are constrained to travel by standing. Getting a seat in the bus en route is very difficult. Children, ladies and the elderly face immense hardship.

The authorities concerned should start a direct bus service from Gurdaspur at regular intervals to provide the much-needed relief to the commuters of the area.

RAVI SHARMA, Jammu