Men too harassed

The historic verdict of the SC to check the misuse of law by some married women is, indeed, the need of the hour. That the conviction rate in such cases is merely 15 per cent speaks volumes of the ill intentions of such wives. There are many cases of harassment of families and their tragic tales of woes. They are put behind bars though they had done no maltreatment towards their daughters-in-law. Rather, they are constantly given threats of being implicated in false legal proceedings. Their husbands have to live with stigma. And, the rounds of courts and police stations make their lives hell.

However, the other view is equally important. There are some greedy and cruel people who go to extreme lengths to satisfy their hunger for dowry and indulge in domestic violence. There are people who believe in dominating the females. A survey must be conducted in the lower strata of families. The wives under this category, being mostly illiterate and fully dependent, dare not knock at the door of justice.

Gurnam Singh Seetal, Khanna

Trapped in Iraq

This is in reference to the article “Indians trapped in Iraq” (July 4) by Sucha Singh Gill. Indians go abroad for jobs of their own choice and will. Many choose the disturbed Gulf areas like Iraq, Syria and Persian Gulf at their own risk. They are lured by hefty salaries offered by unscrupulous construction companies in spite of the most inhospitable conditions. Now they and their relatives in India are blaming the government. It is unjustified and unwarranted. Some of them still want to remain in Iraq and continue with their jobs. Why is that so? It is due to our government’s inability to provide jobs for the millions of unemployed youth. They have no alternative but to take such risks to support their families. The government must keep a check on unscrupulous travel agents.

Many persons who went abroad were not jobless here. They went there for jobs at higher salaries.

Capt Amar Jeet Kumar, Mohali

Expelling poor students

Apropos the news report “Rohtak school expels poor students” (July 15), it is unfortunate that nine students belonging to poor families have been expelled from a private school in Rohtak for non-payment of fees. According to the Haryana School Education Rules, 2009, under Section-134-A (RTE), it is mandatory for all recognised private schools to reserve 25 per cent seats for students of weaker sections. The schools are legally bound to send the compliance report to the Education Department on a regular basis. It is painful that social activists and students still have to come out in streets to demand the implementation of RTE. What is worse about the Rohtak incident is that some prominent social activists accompanying the parents of the aggrieved students have alleged that they were roughly handled by a DSP-level officer. Students demonstrating in support of Section-134-A were lathi-charged. Such incidents discourage the poor people to send their wards to private schools and embolden the owners of private schools to trample upon the very spirit of the RTE.

Dr RAJ BAHADUR YADAV, Fatehabad

Discord on accord

The article “Why the discord over a century old accord” (July 4) by Dinesh Kumar should shock historians and political leaders who have been singing the ‘Hindi-Chini bhai bhai’ song. It takes me back to 1940 when I was a primary school student at Jalari in Hamirpur. A British assistant district inspector of schools from Dharamsala had come to inspect the school on horse. He started his lecture with pride: “Boys, I am telling you about the achievements that the British made for India.” He said Major MC Mohan, an army surveyor, presided over the Indian team at the Simla Convention of 1913-14 that decided the permanent solution for peace by deciding the boundary between the two countries. The question of discord over a century-old accord is partly due to British leaders and largely due to our leaders after Independence.

Multan Singh Parihar, Hamirpur

Treat waste, clean Ganga

This refers to a report which mentions that “more than Rs 400 crore has been earmarked to clean the Ganga project by the NDA government.” The previous UPA government had also spent a huge amount on this operation in its tenure of two terms. But surprisingly, the Ganga is still flowing polluted. The new fund will also probably go down the drain without achieving the objective. Until the cities on the banks of Ganga, especially Kanpur, stop discharging untreated effluents of industrial units, the river will remain polluted. Any project is an exercise in futility if industrial waste falling into the river is not subjected to pollution treatment plants.

Sunder Singh Giani, Dialpur (Mohali)