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

Hard, bitter dose

“Time for a re-look at the law” by R Sedhuraman (Sunday Tribune, Jan 6) reflects the malady eating into the vitals of our society. Legal provisions are in place, but offenders are simply slipping away. Two doses, hard and bitter, may work. Firstly, politicians should exhibit the will and no political party should shield a criminal. Secondly, a teacher's professionalism, work culture and public and private life should be so imbued with gender sensitivity and other values that he or she is seen as a role model in society.

Dr S Kumar, Panchkula

II

Each year, lives are lost due to open borewells but we don't learn; lives are lost due to illegal constructions but we ignore it; rapes take place, but we take no action. The horrendous “rarest of the rare” rape incident shook the nation. People are still protesting in biting cold and some are observing indefinite fast. But our politicians are unmoved and not taking drastic measures to ensure such an incident never recurs. If a baby dies, they will say, “I too have a baby”; if a woman is killed, they will say, “I also have a daughter”. For them, citizens are just voters. But they must remember, with each person dying, they lose a voter.

Meera Jhangiani, New Delhi

III

Rape is the most heinous crime, even more heinous than murder as it crushes the spirit of a woman. The rapist's punishment should match his barbaric act and send a strong message out to any potential rapist. The accused should be crucified at a public place and left to die. Anything less than this will not suffice.

AK Sharma, Chandigarh

No compassion

Apropos the article, “Honour the brave man” by Kishwar Desai (Sunday Tribune, Jan 6), we sing paeans of our glorious heritage, culture and scriptures, which could be the envy of any civilised society, but not any more. A bleeding victim on the road would draw immediate attention and care of passersby in the West. The police would have reached the site within minutes. Not so in India. Let us introspect and have some compassion for our fellow beings.

BM Singh, Amritsar

Repress not

“Protest for a pause” by Mallika Kaur (Spectrum, Jan 6) has admirably put the issue of the horrific Delhi gangrape case in a perspective by reflecting on the divide between people “like us” and the other “barbaric, uneducated underbelly” of India. This may not be wholly true though. The root cause of rapes is the widespread repression in our society. We have a separate set of rules for boys and girls. This should change for our society to evolve and have a broader outlook.

Ram Varma, email