Twist in the tale
Sir — Words can be tricky things. The saffron ecosystem had some effusive words of praise for the film, Adipurush, which is a retelling of the Ramayana. Surprisingly, the Hindu Sena has filed a public interest litigation against the film for allegedly maligning Hindu culture. Once again, words have led to the film’s fall from grace: the character of Hanuman mouthing startling lines like “tel tere baap ka, aag bhi tere baap ki, aur jalegi bhi tere baap ki” before burning down Lanka has made the audience uncomfortable. The saffron ecosystem is now being forced to eat its earlier words of praise.
Rita Bose,Calcutta
Sustained misery
Sir — No matter how much progress India makes in various fields, the rising number of farmers’ suicides will always be a blot on the country’s image (“Season of woes”, June 16). It is a shame that an agricultural labourer committed suicide every two hours in 2021. The prime minister’s promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 has been belied. The government should look into ways to reduce farmers’ woes.
Jahangir Shaikh,Mumbai
Slow to act
Sir — The Central government and the Delhi Police are employing all means available to them to delay the arrest of the parliamentarian and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. This reminds me of the case of Larry Nassar, the former sports physician, who was convicted for molesting scores of young female athletes for decades under the guise of medical treatment in the United States of America.
The testimonies of his victims played an important part in Nassar’s conviction. In India, too, the statements of the wrestlers have to be paid heed to. There are accusations that the father of the minor wrestler was pressured by the government to withdraw the statement on behalf of his minor daughter. Why does a parent have the right to withdraw a minor’s statement? The Delhi Police instantly sought to drop charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, claiming that there was no evidence. It is doubtful if these athletes will get justice.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,Faridabad
Sir — The Delhi Police is under pressure. This is clear from the 550-page report recommending the cancellation of Pocso charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. This rush to dismiss charges is because a Pocso accused has to be detained immediately; no action has been taken against Singh for the longest time. It is now up to the courts to deliver justice to the wrestlers.
M.T. Farooqi,Hyderabad
Bloody start
Sir — It is not surprising that the West Bengal government is averse to the deployment of Central forces for elections (“3 murdered;central forces for all districts”, June 16). Democracy has been denuded in Bengal and the ruling party is full of lumpen elements. The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is well aware that her party’s support base is eroding as it is rocked by multiple scams.
The deployment of Central forces will ensure free and fair elections. Poll-related violence has marred Bengal’s political landscape in the past. The ruling party’s desperation to win should not impede the smooth functioning of democracy.
Sudipta Ghosh,Murshidabad
Sir — It is shameful that blood has been spilled on Bengal’s soil during the nomination phase for the panchayat elections. What is more unfortunate is the fact that the chief minister continues to deny this reality. She should make it clear that she will stand neither violence nor corruption in the state, even from her own party members.
Mihir Kanungo,Calcutta
