Crack at life
Sir — Be it Lazarus of Bethany or Gandalf, both mythology and fiction are replete with examples of dead people being resurrected to life. Real-life cases of the deceased outwitting death, however, are more uncommon. In a recent incident, a ‘late’ 80-year-old man from Haryana, Darshan Singh Brar, was jolted back to life when the ambulance that was transporting the corpse for the funeral rites suddenly hit a pothole. Potholes are notorious life-takers and responsible for record fatalities each year. But will Brar’s resurrection now give India’s municipal authorities an excuse to not fill pot-holed roads on ‘humanitarian’ grounds?
Sulogna Biswas, North 24 Parganas
On the boil
Sir — Iran recently struck two strongholds of the Salafi militant group, Jaish al-Adl, in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. This came after similar offensives by the Revolutionary Guard against alleged anti-Iranian groups based in Iraq and Syria (“Iran strikes targets in Iraq, Syria”, Jan 17). The missile and drone strike by Iran inside Pakistan’s borders resulted in the death of two children. It has been rightly condemned by the Pakistani foreign ministry as an “unprovoked violation” of its airspace. Pakistan has responded to the provocation by striking against terrorist hubs in Iran.
Such counterstrikes would further inflame the already tense situation in the Middle East. The fresh hostilities would significantly derail the diplomatic gains that the nuclear-armed Pakistan and nuclear-ambitious Iran have made in recent times after eyeing each other warily for years.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Sir — Even as attacks by Iran-backed militant groups facilitate the intensification of the conflict in Gaza, Tehran carried out separate attacks on specific targets in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria. This is disconcerting. According to Islamabad, the “illegal” act took place despite the existence of several established channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan is thus right to recall its ambassador to Iran over the attack (“Pak recalls Iran envoy over attack”, Jan 18).
Tehran has claimed that its attack was in response to the deaths of 11 Iranian police personnel who were killed last month by Jaish al-Adl. This shows that Pakistan is not doing enough to root out terrorism from its soil.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Mend the fissures
Sir — The appointment of Mallikarjun Kharge as the chairperson of the Opposition INDIA bloc is a victory for the Congress party (“War within”, Jan 17). The Congress president is the right candidate to lead the Opposition’s fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party. Kharge, however, has his task cut out before the general elections in April. This includes drafting a common minimum programme for the grouping and achieving a consensus among the allies on the seat-sharing arrangement. It seems that Kharge will be under a lot of pressure to balance the demands of his party and those of the other alliance partners.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Sir — The editorial, “War within”, aptly dissects the issues plaguing the INDIA bloc. The increasing disagreements over seat-sharing owing to the individual ambitions of the Opposition leaders will make it difficult for them to counter the well-oiled election machinery of the BJP. On the other hand, the saffron party has been using the upcoming inauguration of the Ram mandir to further polarise the electorate.
Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri
Loony flight
Sir — In a shocking incident, a passenger on a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru was stranded inside the plane restroom for about one and a half hours owing to a malfunctioning door lock. The passenger had to wait until the plane landed in Bengaluru, after which the technicians were able to open the door. This is deplorable. Be it unprecedented flight delays or cancellations at the last minute, the aviation industry continues to touch new lows every day. The aviation regulator must take steps to prevent untoward incidents.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Sir — The co-pilot of a Delhi-Goa Indigo flight was recently assaulted by an enraged passenger while he was announcing the delay in the flight’s departure. Flight delays have become commonplace, causing significant inconveniences to fliers.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Alternative plan
Sir — Metro Railway has sought modification of the Dakshineswar skywalk in a bid to increase the operational efficiency of the Metro station. The skywalk serves as an important gateway for pilgrims visiting the temple. The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, is thus right to assert that she would by no means allow the demolition of the structure (“Dakshineswar skywalk can’t be razed: CM on Metro letter”, Jan 17). The authorities must chalk out an alternative plan to increase the space of the Metro station.
D. Bhattacharjee, Calcutta
