Lost sense

Sir — All of us have, at some point or the other, been guilty of trying to cover up our mistakes. Many of us will remember going to great lengths to glue back pieces of glassware that we may have shattered, or frantically trying to find an expensive item we had misplaced. However, it is unlikely that any of us has emptied out an entire reservoir trying to search for a lost mobile phone, as a government official in Chhattisgarh recently did. Rajesh Vishwas pumped out millions of litres from the Kherkatta dam in Chhattisgarh — a state prone to droughts — just so that he could retrieve his mobile phone which had dropped into the reservoir. Such wastage of a precious resource during a particularly hot summer is unconscionable.

Deepak Agharia,Raipur

Ghastly crime

Sir — It was spine-chilling to learn that a 16-year-old girl was stabbed more than 20 times by a 20-year-old man in Delhi and then hit with a concrete slab till she died. What is even more shocking is that many passers-by chose to remain mute spectators instead of coming to the rescue of the poor girl. Such heinous crimes should be met with swift and severe punishment; even capital punishment should not be ruled out. Repeated cases of such gruesome murders in the national capital also bring to question the effectiveness of the Delhi Police, which is under the direct control of the Union home ministry.

Tharcius S. Fernando,Chennai

Sir — CCTV footage of a teenage girl being stabbed and bludgeoned to death recently in Delhi was nauseating to look at. It has been termed a ‘crime of passion’ committed by a jilted lover. The young girl who has had her life cut short deserves justice. The role of romantic films in promoting suchunhealthy obsession in relationships must also be examined.

G. David Milton,Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Still burning

Sir — It is disheartening to see the situation in Manipur deteriorate (“Voices of concern rise in Manipur”, May 30). The Kuki community should not have to live in fear of persecution in its homeland. Visuals of churches being set on fire and homes being destroyed are disturbing. Despite the strong military presence in the state in the wake of the visit by the Union home minister, Amit Shah, the violence has continued unabated. Priests heading various Christian communities among the Kukis have rightly expressed concern. The government should take immediate action to restore peace in Manipur.

Shameek Bose,Calcutta

Sir — The situation in Manipur is still serious with regular incidents of communal clashes and arson being reported (“Defence chief contradicts CM on violence”, May 31). The Centre needs to try and re-establish normalcy at once. Otherwise, the conflagration might spread to other states in the Northeast.

The riots are also a testament to the complete failure of the ruling party in the state. It should serve as an eye-opener about the competency of leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party for voters in other states.

Anupam Neogi,Calcutta

Sir — The socio-political situation in Manipur is complex. Many ethnicities and tribal groups have coexisted there for decades. The law-and-order situation in border states is particularly fragile, and must be handled with care. The usual Hindutva sentiments, which unite much of northern India, cannot be applied here.

R. Narayanan,Navi Mumbai

Harmful progress

Sir — The destruction of the Himalayas in the name of development is heart-wrenching (“Hills crushed by ‘vikas’: Activist”, May 30). Having resided in various hill stations for years, I have witnessed first-hand how explosives are used to blast away portions of the rockface so that roads may be widened. The construction of dams and tunnels by digging huge sections of rocks is causing irreparable damage to the Himalayas. The sinking of Joshimath might be followed by similar disasters in other hill stations like Gangtok or Darjeeling if planned and sustainable development is not undertaken.

Alok Ganguly,Nadia

Menacing remark

Sir — The recent tweet by a retired IPS officer, N.C. Asthana, threatening to shoot the wrestlers protesting in Delhi is sickening (“‘Right to shoot’ champions”, May 30). How can a former officer of the law behave like a common criminal? Perhaps he believes that such extra-judicial threats will earn him favour with the current ruling dispensation. Such menacing remarks belie the Centre’s tall claims about fighting for women’s rights.

Anshuman Bhattacharya,Howrah

Sir — After almost a year-long protest by farmers against the three laws proposed by the Union government, the nation is, once again, bearing witness to a protest by wrestlers against sexual harassment. In such a sensitive situation, it was irresponsible of the former director-general of Kerala Police, N.C. Asthana, to threaten to shoot the protestors. The manner in which the decorated wrestlers were dragged away from the protest spot shows the country in a poor light.

Babulal Das,North 24 Parganas

Top spot

Sir — It is a proud moment for West Bengal to have emerged as the topper in the list of states with biodiversity heritage sites (“Bengal emerges first in biodiversity site count”, May 30). Let us hope that the forest authorities continue to perform their duties diligently to protect wildlife in a world that is undergoing rapid urbanisation.

Aayman Anwar Ali,Calcutta