Demonstrations right

Why does the Supreme Court not take suo motu action against the police for brutality on people demonstrating for their rights? In the USA, the police cannot touch any one demonstrating for their rights. It is a big dark spot on Indian democracy.

Devinder Grewal, California (USA)

Don’t shut school

This is with reference to the letter “Don't shut school” (August 15). It has pained many readers that Modern Senior Secondary School at Patiala which gives excellent results every year is being sold and a mall is coming up in its place. This would be great injustice with the students whose careers would suffer and the staff who would become jobless. The action of the managing committee of the school is deeply condemnable. NGOs and influential persons should save the school from being razed.

SD Sharma, via email

Grain stores needed

This refers to the news item “Rs 18 crore paddy scam unearthed in Moga” (July 17). The custody and storage of foodgrains by the procuring agencies, including the Food Corporation of India, has always been problematic due to lack of godowns, warehouses and silos. The rush during the procurement season is so much that the departments involved find it difficult to store the produce in their premises. Wheat and paddy are kept either on hired open plinths stacked on wooden crates and covered with tarpaulins or in the custody of sheller owners, who generally are their clients for custom milling. Those kept in the open are vulnerable to the vagaries of nature and destruction by rats and insects. There is no fool-proof check for the stock kept with the shellers. It has been seen that crores of rupees are booked in the accounts of the FCI as storage and transit losses as well as varietal changes that come to notice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly observed that the activities of the FCI be trifurcated into three independent units, viz procurement, storage and distribution. Each one should be held accountable for its activities. Unless sufficient storage houses are built, the problem will continue. Proper storage will avoid the loss of national wealth, which could be used to feed the needy and poor. It will also put a cap on pilferage and theft.

RL Bhardwaj, Mohali

Master Tara Singh

Raghuvendra Tanwar in the article “Master Tara Singh and Punjab’s partition” (August 6) writes: “The Sikhs enjoyed a level of national importance well beyond that was merited by their demographic strength.” The Sikhs were the third party to rule India in terms of the ‘Communal Award’ of 1932. Then the system of governance was monarchy and not democracy. The count of heads is a later development. When the Mughals, Pathans and British ruled India, votes were not counted. When Ranjit Singh ruled Lahore, the number of Sikhs was much less then Muslims and Hindus.

Master Tara Singh’s original name was Nanak Chand Malhotra. He was naturally aligned with Hindu India and not Muslim Pakistan. The authors of ‘Freedom at Midnight’ write (p. 231): “The dominant voice at the council was that of the hot-eyed fanatic who had started the march conflagration by hacking down a Moslem League banner with his kirpan.... Tara Singh, called ‘Master’ by his followers because he was a third-grade schoolteacher.” After that, innocent Sikhs were killed. Sikhs were perceived to be an enemy of Muslims and Pakistan. It was declared that no Sikh be allowed to stay in West Punjab. He had also planned to kill Jinnah and innocent Muslims, as per a noting in the Top Secret report of Mountbatten dt. August 9, 1947.

Baldev Singh, Kapurthala

Flower beds on roads

The issue of illegal ramps and flower (vegetation) beds being constructed by residents upon roads (government land) with impunity has been weighing on my conscience for quite some time. That The Tribune appreciated the importance of the issue and highlighted the subject in the Jalandhar edition on August 18 and 19 has given the desired fillip to the issue.

Wg Cdr Alfred Chauhan (retd), Jalandhar

100 years ago... and, now

A small corner of The Tribune “On this day…100 years ago” reflects the qualitative aspect of coverage of this great daily since 1881. It is good to know the seriousness of the British Government towards social, economic administrative, political conditions of India prevalent at that time.

It was a treat to read the news of August 15, 1914 “Recall of officers on leave”. ICS and police officers were called back after leave from England. The main criteria for their postings at the district level was their tact and experience coupled with their popularity among the masses. What a contrast with present time when such postings are made on political considerations.

Dr VK Anand, Patiala

 

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