Curse lifted

Sir — The curse of Tutankhamun has been lifted — not by magic but by science. Recent research has found that the mythical curse that allegedly afflicted the archaeologists who dared enter the tomb of Tutankhamun may have been nothing but radiation poisoning. Scientists have detected unnaturally high levels of radiation in the tomb of the boy king, with studies pointing to the presence of uranium and other radioactive materials there and in locations such as the pyramids of Saqqarah and Giza. These high levels of radiation could thus have led to the untimely deaths of many of the excavators who worked on these archaeological projects. But will this revelation help lift the curse of conspiracy theories that abound about these tombs?

Prabir Guha, Calcutta

Shameful duplicity

Sir — It is shocking that Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of the former prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has been accused of sexually assaulting several women. Following the emergence of more than 2,900 sexually explicit videos, the accused has fled the country. Revanna has been accused of molesting and raping women of varied ages. Such abuse has surely had a destructive impact on the lives of the women, one of whom was a domestic worker who worked at Revanna’s house. It is shameful that despite such grave allegations, he has been allowed to flee to Germany. This proves, once again, that crimes against women do not matter to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, or to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Dishearteningly, Union ministers like Smriti Irani and the chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, have remained silent on this issue, while Narendra Modi has even campaigned on behalf of Revanna’s party, the Janata Dal (Secular). The BJP’s slogan, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, has been proven to be hollow, be it in this case or the harassment of women wrestlers.

Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana

Sir — Following the revelations about the sexual assault allegations against Prajwal Revanna, people are asking why the BJP went ahead with its alliance with the JD(S) even after one of its leaders wrote a letter to the state unit president exposing these crimes (“BJP sat on sex crime & fielded MP: Congress”, April 30). JD(S) leaders have, as expected, raised questions about the veracity of the allegations. But has Prajwal’s flight to Germany not proved his guilt? The rapes of hundreds of women would have been front-page news and the subject of heated television debates had they happened in a non-BJP-ruled state. Sadly, all the tall leaders in the BJP government are silent on this.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir — It would surely have been impossible for Prajwal Revanna to flee the country without the knowledge of the Union home ministry. Will the BJP president, J.P. Nadda, now visit the families of the women who have suffered abuse, as he did in the case of Neha Hiremath, the college student who was murdered in Hubbali? Has the prime minister assured justice to these victims, as he did with those in Sandeshkhali? Will Smriti Irani take time out of her Amethi campaign to listen to these women? The party which raised such a hullabaloo about passing the women’s reservation bill in Parliament is now silent. The future does not look bright for the common people.

Hemachandra Basappa, Bengaluru

Sir — The Congress has rightly cornered the BJP and its ally, the JD(S), over the nomination of Prajwal Revanna from Karnataka’s Hassan, despite alleged knowledge about his criminal activities. The BJP’s claim that it has no authority over its ally’s choice of candidate is dubitable, especially when Narendra Modi himself campaigned for the accused. It is unfortunate that the last few years under the BJP’s rule have seen a drastic rise in crimes against women, with the criminals often being shielded from legal action. The same India which stood in solidarity with the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case is now largely silent, afraid of speaking out against a majoritarian dispensation.

Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta

Cruel treatment

Sir — The government of the United Kingdom is trying to wash its hands of its international obligations (“Cynical ploy”, April 30). Asylum-seekers, even when they enter the country illegally, should be treated humanely and accommodated once their applications are processed. The decision to deport thousands of refugees is out of sync with the UK’s professed status of being a leading European power; it also belies Britain’s claims of being committed to upholding human rights. Humanitarian crises are mounting amid global turbulence. All nations should try to mitigate the woes of displaced people.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Hidden problems

Sir — The international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, has admitted in court in the United Kingdom that its Covid-19 vaccine, marketed in India as Covishield, has caused side effects like blood clotting and low platelet count in some people. This acknowledgement came during a 100 million-pound class action lawsuit, with the company admitting that Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome had occurred in very rare cases. India should ban any further use of the Covishield vaccine.

Vijaykumar H.K., Raichur, Karnataka

Sir — The delayed acceptance by AstraZeneca that its Covid-19 vaccine can cause rare but serious side effects has come as a bolt from the blue for those who had been administered the Covishield vaccine in India. The Union ministry of health and family welfare and other prestigious medical institutes of the nation should immediately publish circulars giving all the details about the vaccine to prevent mass panic.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana