Sniff and tell

Sir — Petrichor, the earthy scent released when rain falls on dry soil, is one of the most recognisable fragrances. But some people claim to get a whiff of petrichor even before it starts pouring by simply sniffing the air. A recent study has vindicated this claim. According to IFL Science, the human nose is adept at detecting the soil bacteria responsible for petrichor from afar in the manner sharks can detect blood in the sea from a large distance. It will thus not be wrong to argue that petrichor sniffers can give weathermen a run for the money given their poor track record of forecasting stormy weather.

Akshay Meena,Calcutta

Plug the leaks

Sir — The reported breach of personal data of Covid vaccination beneficiaries from the CoWin portal is deplorable (“Open for all”, June 15). Sensitive information, like Aadhaar and PAN details, has been accessed by a social media bot. Although the government has denied any leak of data, it cannot evade the responsibility for failing to secure the personal data of the citizens.

Privacy has become a myth in the digital age in spite of the Supreme Court order declaring privacy as a fundamental right. The government as the custodian of the Constitution should have taken steps to ensure the privacy of the citizens. The bureaucratic inertia that led to the failure to plug the gaps in the digital personal data protection bill is telling. Only a robust legal framework can secure data and minimise the chances of leaks.

D.V.G. Sankararao,Andhra Pradesh

Sir — The Congress has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Centre’s data management apparatus to discover the extent of the threat to individual privacy posed by the reported data breach of the CoWin portal (“Hint of past Covid vaccine data breach”, June 13). This is welcome.

The steps taken by the government to manage health data do not inspire confidence. The party also pointed out that the government refused to instal a privacy policy in the CoWin app six months after the vaccination drive had begun. This must be investigated.

Bhagwan Thadani,Mumbai

Escalating crisis

Sir — The unrest in Manipur seems to have spiralled out of control (“Manipur erupts, 9 killed”, June 15). The conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki communities has already claimed more than 100 lives. The ‘double-engine sarkar’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party is increasingly failing to bring the warring groups to the negotiating table.

The appeal for peace by the Union minister, Amit Shah, also failed to have the desired impact. It seems that the BJP’s brand of communal politics is negatively affecting the state’s youth. It is high time that president’s rule is imposed in the state.

Jahangir Ali, Mumbai

Poor judgment

Sir — A judge of the Gujarat High Court recently suggested that it was justified for a 16-year-old pregnant rape survivor — she had requested for medical termination of her pregnancy — to give birth as such a notion is espoused in the Manusmriti (“Old memory”, June 14). This raises questions about the objectivity of the judicial process.

The fact that the judge cited restrictions on women’s freedom from an ancient, regressive text instead of giving importance to the plight of a rape survivor is shameful. This will lead to people losing faith in the judiciary.

Srija Maji,Calcutta

House for all

Sir — It is being speculated that the Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation is likely to take up the delimitation process of parliamentary constituencies. A population-based delimitation, in accordance with the increased seating capacity of the new Parliament building, is contentious as it may lead to unequal representation. Further, the states which have not followed any population control measures would benefit from a delimitation exercise while those that have taken steps will lose out. It is crucial that the delimitation exercise takes into account the diverse factors of each state and not only its demographics.

Bishal Kumar Saha,Murshidabad

End of an era

Sir — An era came to an end with the demise of the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi (“Silvio, brash showman and ex-Italy PM, is dead”, June 13). His four stints in power were characterised by numerous allegations of corruption and sex scandals. Nevertheless, he navigated the complex post-War Italian political landscape with his carefully crafted personality in a manner similar to that of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Vijay Singh Adhikari,Nainital

Parting shot

Sir — The Argentinian football great, Lionel Messi, has ruled out his participation in the 2026 Fifa World Cup. This broke the hearts of millions of his fans across the globe. One hopes that La Pulga will change his mind.

Sourish Misra,Calcutta