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

’84 riots state-prompted

The 1984 Sikh pogrom was organised and state-prompted (apropos the report “84 riots spontaneous but condemnable, says Cong”, January 29). More then 3,000 innocent Sikhs were brutally butchered in the national capital alone. The bestial violence continued for days, but the government showed Neronian indifference. Instead of coming down heavily on the hoodlums, they were given a free hand. The police aided and abetted them. Yet the Army was not called in. Many senior Congress leaders encouraged the killers. Rajiv Gandhi ruthlessly remarked that the earth shakes when a big tree falls. Apparently, the horrible Sikh carnage was regarded as evidence of Indira Gandhi’s status as that of a “big tree”. Her body surrounded by unscrupulous people shouting slogans such as “khoon ka badla khoon sey lengey” was broadcast on television. This propelled the ruffians to shed innocent blood more vehemently. Neither was the heinous genocide condemned nor the deaths of victims mourned in Parliament. Yet, the Congress brazenly says that the anti-Sikhs riots were not state-orchestrated. I am reminded of the verse ‘Gar na beenad broz shappra-chashm, Chashma-e-aftal ra che gunaah’ (if a bat-blind person cannot see during the day, what is the fault of the sun?)

Bhagwan Singh, Qadian

1984, 2002 incomparable

It is wrong to compare the Sikh massacre of 1984 with the 2002 Gujarat riots. The former was a massacre with no fighting involved. In the latter, two communities fought each other and the riots emanated from the burning alive of some Hindus in a train. To quell the riots, the Gujarat Police used firearms in which around 200 rioters perished.

The police, on order from those in power, took no action for days in the Sikh carnage. The country's capital became a killing field under the supervision of top Congress leaders. Thousands of Sikh families are yet to get justice even after 30 years while the alleged killers have enjoyed plum posts and ministerial berths in the Congress and Congress-led ministries.

Tusar Kanti Kar, Howrah

Fiscal pinch exemplary

Apropos the report “Frivolous case: Apex court slaps litigation cost on dairy chief” (January 26), the court has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the MD of Haryana Dairy Development Corporation Federation Ltd. It is a laudable verdict. Bureaucrats sometimes pass orders just to satisfy their whims and ego without caring a fig for the pecuniary loss which the government would have to bear on account of unnecessary litigation. If financial pinch is caused to an errant officer, the other officers will also think twice before passing unsustainable orders.

G D Gupta, Jagadhri

Save Punjabi films

It has been rightly observed that the Punjabi film industry is losing ground. The main reason for this plight is that the producers are not actually film producers. They are builders or car dealers. How can a person dealing in bricks and cement be capable of dealing in the art of film-making? Most of the actors are not actors, they are singers. The lack of good script/screenwriters and directors in Punjabi is also a reason for this plight. Being a screenwriter and film director, I feel that just as the industry started looking up after a long time, so it will die soon. The producers should hold brainstorming meetings with writers and directors before investing so that the outcome is magnificent.

Mahesh Seelvi, Patiala

Much song ’n dance

The Indian cinema is known for its songs and dances. The songs have gone through drastic changes since the first sound film, ‘Alam Ara’, in 1931. A few decades later, the songs were found to be incomplete without some dance. In the early 60s, dance was confined to a tree. Subsequently, the film-makers started using a whole garden for the hero and heroine to dance in. Later, the songs became global, with the actor putting his left foot in Paris and right in Switzerland.

India produces the highest number of films in a year. But for quality, it should be thankful to Hollywood. Barring the song-dance routine, we have copied everything from them: stories, music and technology.

Anshul Mittal, Mansa