Friends first
Sir — Opportunities to fall in love are now abundant thanks to dating apps. What is missing amid the charged atmosphere of endless romantic possibilities, paradoxically, is companionship. This is perhaps why 90% of Gen Z Indians are now using dating apps to find new friends. The digital revolution eliminated opportunities to develop organic friendships in traditional settings. The convenience of online shopping came at the cost of forming human connections. But in the form of dating apps, technology has presented us with a fix too. As the saying goes, modern problems require modern solutions.
Sweta Bhattacharya,Calcutta
Free to go
Sir — More than two decades after 11 Muslims were killed in the post-Godhra riots in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Gam, the judge of a special investigation team court has acquitted all the 67 accused, including the former minister of state of women and child development, Maya Kodnani, who had been convicted of orchestrating the Naroda Patiya massacre by a trial court earlier. These acquittals come in spite of several eyewitness accounts against the accused. Why did it take the special court — constituted to mete out speedy justice — 21 years to come to this conclusion? Did it make any special effort in this period to employ investigative agencies to gather evidence?
Such acquittals will embolden people to carry out such violent acts with impunity. In New India, rioters are acquitted and Opposition leaders are put behind bars for complaining against the government.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,Faridabad
Sir — Victims and families of those who were murdered in the Naroda Gam riots are feeling cheated by the justice system. While the court’s order must be respected, questions about the riots and their instigators remain. This case should be taken to the highest court in the land.
Kamal Arora,Calcutta
Sir — The acquittal of all the accused in the Naroda Gam case due to insufficient evidence highlights the callousness of the prosecution. More than 1,000 people died in the Gujarat riots in 2002. Who, then, killed all those Muslims in cold blood and burnt their shops and houses? Unless the culprits are punished, people will lose faith in the justice system.
M. Zakir Hussain,Kazipet, Telangana
Fatal lapse
Sir — It is disheartening that five soldiers were killed after a military vehicle was fired upon by terrorists in Poonch (“5 soldiers killed in militant strike in Jammu”, April 21). This is the fourth terror attack in the region in a year. The repeated lapses are worrying. This has to be seen as a failure of military intelligence.
Jayanta Datta,Hooghly
Sir — The killing of five Indian soldiers by suspected Lakshar-e-Toiba militants is most unfortunate. It is a matter of concern that the tall claims made by the Union government and the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, about having controlled cross- border terrorism have been belied. Such hollow words cannot save our soldiers.
M.C. Vijai Shanker,Chennai
New opportunity
Sir — The grand opening of flagship Apple stores in Mumbai and Delhi is encouraging for the Indian economy. China has become a pioneer in mobile manufacturing. It has some of the bestselling smartphone brands. This is one of the reasons why Apple is promoting itself in India. The India visit of the Apple CEO, Tim Cook, was an official mark of approval for India. The manufacturing of Apple phones and products in India will not only make these items cheaper for the country but also boost the Make in India initiative.
Kirti Wadhawan,Kanpur
