Trusty guide

Sir — Despite the boom in online grocery stores like Big­Basket and InstaMart where one can get nearly everything — from fresh produce to frozen meat to spice mixes — nothing can beat the shopping done at subzi mandis. This is because while shopping on apps might be more convenient, a seasoned shopper will not compromise on hand-picking the produce. Recently, a woman shared the image of a shopping list for her husband where she had meticulously listed the items she wanted, including tiny doodles to illustrate how to make the right pick. This is perhaps a chance for Bengali men to take pride in themselves. While this woman had to make an illustrated bajar phordo for her husband, any Bengali man worth his salt knows his way around the market like the back of his palm.

Drishti Saha, Calcutta

Mystery deepens

Sir — The arrest of the officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal, by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the rape and murder case of the doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital is shocking (“CP help sought for arrested cop”, Sept 16). While the law must take its course, this arrest has further tarnished the reputation of Kolkata Police. However, people should not jump to conclusions. They should allow the investigating agencies to continue probing the matter.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — The R.G. Kar incident has descended into total chaos. It is now difficult to point fingers at a single political party or authority. The arrest of the officer-in-charge of the Tala police station has raised suspicion against the top brass of the Kolkata Police (“Arrests raise TMC tamper unease”, Sept 16). The allegations regarding a nexus between the health department and the police seem to hold water. The meeting between the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, and the junior doctors has brought the assurance that most of the demands of the protestors will be met. But people are still angry with the dispensation. Some political spokespersons are trying to drive a wedge between the people and the protesting doctors. This should not be allowed.

Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta

Sir — The arrest of the Democratic Youth Fede­ra­tion of India leader, Kalatan Dasgupta, on the charge of plotting an attack on doctors may be a conspiracy to divert the attention of the protestors (“‘Fake evidence used to frame DYFI leader’”, Sept 16). The arrest by the Bidhannagar police in a suo motu case filed on the basis of an audio clip raises doubts about their intentions. It seems that Dasgupta was arrested because he was leading an agitation regarding the R.G. Kar incident. As for the clip, it must be asked how the Trinamool Congress leader, Kunal Ghosh, accessed it and why he did not approach the police with it. All of this has muddied the water further in this case.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Sir — The TMC leader, Tapas Chatterjee, has allegedly said that the people participating in processions demanding justice for the rape and murder of a doctor in Calcutta are merely “dancing to disco beats”. This is condemnable. The TMC should clean up its act as its reputation has taken a beating since the R.G. Kar incident.

M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai

Fatal attack

Sir — While wolf attacks are not completely unknown, they were rare until recent times (“Tooth and claw”, Sept 14). Humans are not natural prey for this predator and it is thus surprising that wolves have been attacking people in Uttar Pradesh. Thankfully, most of them have been caught and people can now breathe a sigh of relief. The lack of natural prey must have caused them to attack humans. The captive wolves need to be relocated to areas with natural prey instead of being put down.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Sir — Wolves have been blamed for the terror that has gripped Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Experts on the Indian wolf believe that the predator may not be behind the attacks on humans in the region. Some suggest that the culprits in Bahraich could be wolf-dog hybrids or even stray dogs, which are common in the region. This must be investigated before needlessly capturing wolves.

Rajesh Ram, Lucknow

Freeze construction

Sir — Arctic ice is melting at an alarming rate of almost 13% every decade (“Troubled thawing”, Sept 13). But instead of strengthening con­servation efforts, governments are focussing on geopolitics. Oil and gas exploration projects in the Arctic region and the expansion of infrastructure by Russia, NATO and other groups can result in an ecological disaster. The Himalayan ecosystem in India is also under a similar threat. The burgeoning military infrastructure of India and China in this region will adversely affect the Himalayas. World leaders must raise these issues at the upcoming climate action summit in Azerbaijan.

Prasun Kumar Dutta, Kharagpur

Choose wisely

Sir — Researchers are now challenging the long-standing view of addiction being a chronic disease (“Matter Of Choice”, Sept 16). This provides valuable insights into what is a public health concern. Further research will help envisage a better comprehension of addiction, making the processes of rehabilitation more effective. Understanding the complex interplay of various psychosocial factors, such as familial history of addiction and the immediate social environment, might be crucial.

Rupanjali Samadder, Calcutta

Great treasure

Sir — A businessman in Virginia, Tim Banazek, owns the largest private sports memorabilia comprising around 20 million sports cards (“20 million cards up his sleeves”, Sept 16). One hopes that he will donate his collection to a sports museum for better preservation.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta