Empty vessels

Sir — When an author gains a level of popularity, people often find it difficult to speak up against him or her. Haruki Murakami — the author’s new book is making quite a splash — is a perfect example of this. His writing skills notwithstanding, Murakami’s female characters only orbit around his solitary male protagonists to sleep with them as a cure for their loneliness, provide emotional relief, or help them come to some sort of existential understanding. These sexualized and self-sacrificing supporting roles make the women nothing more than vessels of liberation for male characters.

Kushali Shah,

Ahmedabad

Lax security

Sir — The bizarre incident at Delhi’s Rohini court complex was the stuff of fiction right out of a Bollywood thriller (“Shootout at Delhi court kills 3”, Sep 25). Two gangsters garbed in lawyer’s apparel entered a courtroom and pumped bullets into an undertrial thug quite close to the judge’s seat. The two were later killed by the police.

This raises questions about the security of sensitive areas like the court. A thorough probe into the incident must be carried out at the earliest. How could pistols be smuggled past the security check at the entry of the court premises? Responsibility must be affixed and corrective action taken immediately.

K. Nehru Patnaik,

Visakhapatnam

Sir — The scenes from the Delhi court were disheartening. Although policemen showed agility in shooting down the two assailants, their presence inside a courtroom with weapons reveals the security lapses at the court premises. It is especially shocking given the presence of metal detectors, scanners and CCTV cameras at the Rohini court complex. The authorities must investigate the matter.

The failure of police intelligence must be probed too. Why did they not anticipate such an incident if they were working on the case and knew that the gangster being produced in court had a price on his head? The law-keepers must learn a lesson from this shootout and ensure that such an event does not take place ever again anywhere in the country.

Jayanta Datta,

Hooghly

Sir — The Rohini court complex shootout should come as an eye-opener. However, the police deserve to be commended for neutralizing the assailants before they could do more harm. Still, the brazen nature of the Delhi case has sent shockwaves across the nation. It revealed security lapses and threats to the lives of judges and lawyers — those who work hard to ensure the timely delivery of justice.

K.V. Seetharamaiah,

Bangalore

Sir — The Delhi shootout was a tragedy waiting to happen. Anyone who has visited a lower court in India is aware of the lax security in the area. If the security establishment does not pull up its socks, this incident will set a bad example that others will follow. More important, in a country where the police shoot down gangsters at whim without waiting for justice to take its course, such behaviour from criminals can hardly come as a surprise.

Aditya Bannerjee,

Gurgaon

Parting shot

Sir — Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has said that they are willing to resume talks with the South if it ends its “hostile policies”. This sudden statement has taken the diplomatic world, and indeed even people outside it, by storm.

This statement is even more surprising given that just this month, North Korea tested a 1,500 kilometre long-range missile. Earlier, Kim Yo-jong had sent a warning to the president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, to not cause a stink. Around the same time North Korea blew up a joint liaison office with the South near Kaesong. These do not seem like signs of rapprochement.

Kim Yo-jong’s statement is thus suspicious. Has North Korea’s economic situation finally forced its hand or is this a trick?

Jang Bahadur Singh,

Jamshedpur