Sir — All life is believed to have evolved from the oceans, yet people show little concern about marine life. According to a study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, the dumping of plastic in the seas threatens the existence of 700 marine species. If this continues unabated, then by 2050 the Arabian Sea might have more plastic than fish. The authorities as well as the citizens must urgently take measures to prevent this calamity. As a first step, people should stop littering the beaches, so that the trash is not washed out to the sea.

Maria Choudhury,
Mumbai

Too much chaos

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party has been perceived to be averse to debate, dissent or discussion, and intolerant towards ideologies different from its own. Such attitudes on the part of the ruling dispensation at the Centre could severely damage the democratic tradition of our country. West Bengal, on the other hand, has been resistant towards this regressive outlook. But the protests in Jadavpur University, when the Union minister, Babul Supriyo, went to the campus to attend an event organized by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, show that even the students of the reputed institution have fallen prey to the intolerance and impatience preached by the BJP.

The way the minister was heckled and gheraoed for hours must be condemned. The actions of the students have not only tarnished the reputation of the institution, but also that of Bengal. The ABVP took advantage of the chaos to vandalize property and harass students. While these actions are deplorable, the agitating students must also behave rationally and responsibly. After all, they are the future of the nation.

Srikanta Bhattacharjee,
Calcutta

Sir — It is surprising that the governor went to Jadavpur University to ‘rescue’ Babul Supriyo from a gherao but did not bother to listen to the grievances of the agitating students. No matter what the cause of the protest might have been, the governor, who is also the chancellor of the university, should have been patient enough to hear out their demands. The vice-chancellor, Suranjan Das, has been criticized because of his failure to contain the situation. But it must also be admitted that, by not calling the police to the campus, he acted only as a teacher would. The vandalism of the campus by the ABVP is abominable.

The students of the university seem to get involved in such situations rather often. Perhaps it is because they are politically conscious citizens who find it difficult to refrain from voicing their opinion on crucial matters. In the light of this, it is likely that such occasions will arise in the future again. What would be interesting to see is whether the governor turns up on campus just as promptly if a minister of the state government gets caught in a similar situation.

Abhijit Chakraborty,
Howrah

Sir — It is difficult to judge who is more wrong when, on one hand, a Union minister is manhandled by the students of a reputed university and, on the other, a rowdy mob affiliated to a particular political party goes on a rampage and vandalizes the campus. It is indeed a black day for the state of education. For years, many leftist parties have shown higher values than others. They were not expected to succumb to intolerance and violence. On the other hand, no educated person would ransack the union room of a university to show his might. Even if the vandals were students of the institution, it does not give them the right to destroy property.

Hooliganism has now become a culture. In fact, it is the senior political leaders who have paved the way for the younger generation to act in this manner.

Anathbandhu Banerjee,
West Burdwan

Babul Supriyo during a scuffle with students in Jadavpur University PTI

Sir — The recent protests at Jadavpur University on the occasion of Babul Supriyo’s visit to the campus seem to be rooted in the students’ opposition to the National Register of Citizens which the BJP seems bent on implementing across the country. This was a commendable motivation, as dialogue about the NRC is important, particularly when most people are silent on the matter, presumably owing to an atmosphere of fear. The Union minister himself was lost for words while responding to the students’ objections regarding the issue. However, it is lamentable that the turn of events on that day pushed the important topic to the back burner.

Bishnupada Pramanik,
North 24 Parganas