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

Let it go

It’s a shame we could not bring the guilty to book even after nearly 30 years (“Cry, my beloved country, till the guilty are punished” by Raj Chengappa; Ground Zero, April 14). The 1984 riots keep coming into focus. Those who were not even born then ask what had happened. The burden will pass on to the next generation. The saying “forget and forgive” holds the wisdom of centuries. We should concentrate to build a new India and try to alleviate the suffering of the victims. Nobody should be allowed to use it as an election slogan or a political weapon.

Dr Avtar Singh, Jalandhar

II

Apart from public apology by the Prime Minister and the government’s rehabilitation drive, speedy delivery of justice will provide the much-needed psychological relief to victims. The abettors and perpetrators should be punished. A fair CBI reinvestigation into former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler’s involvement will uphold the rule of law.

Tajpreet Kang, Hoshiarpur

III

The article depicts the anguish of victims, mainly widows. Why did the Sikh Prime Minister apologise to the country? Perhaps this was also a political agenda. What took place in 1984 was genocide, not riots. Riots mean reaction and aggression from both sides. Innocent Sikhs were only trying to save their lives.

Jagtar Singh Bhullar, Chandigarh

Moral high ground

Moral policing on the pretext of maintaining Hindu culture is unfortunate (Fifty Fifty, Sunday Tribune, April 14). Instead of performing constitutional duties, the police harasses citizens and interferes in their private lives. This transgression leads to a wasteful legal exercise. The police should be sensitised to the changing values of modern society to make it people-friendly. An effective mechanism should be developed to enable the public to complain against the police for rights violations.

Harmohit Singh, Hoshiarpur

Right man, wrong place

Navjot Singh Sidhu should not have entered politics. He should have carried on with TV and cricket-related assignments (“Politics not for straight hitters?” by Perneet Singh, Sunday Tribune, April 14). A man with a clean image cannot survive for long in Indian politics. Lying low is not a solution to any problem. Navjot should face the reality, give his point of view and expose the injustice done to him before parting ways with the party.

Ravinder Singh, Jalandhar

Not fair

The comment that Humayun was a “peripheral figure” (“Humayun and his painters”; Spectrum, April 14) does not do justice to him. Humayun may not have been robust, but he was of noble character. He was brave and honoured his word. He went to the rescue of a Rajput princess who had sent him ‘rakhi’. While Babur went to Kabul, Humayun went on to settle in India. In that sense, he was the real founder of the Mughal Empire.

VK Rangra, Delhi