Sir — Three people were killed in Amritsar district when bike-borne assailants lobbed a grenade at a gathering of the Nirankari sect (“Grenade kills 3 in Punjab”, Nov 19). The attack also left many people injured. The incident proves, once again, that the primary goal of terrorists is to create tension between communities.

The Punjab government has announced a compensation of five lakh rupees each to the kin of the deceased. But the authorities should know that no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of a loved one. The administration must go all out to nab the terrorists. Lastly, the different wings of the State should avoid shirking responsibility for the apparent intelligence failure.

Rohit Bhattacharjee,

Calcutta

Sir — Terrorists targeted a religious congregation at Nirankari Bhavan in Adliwal village of Amritsar last Sunday. The attack may have been a handiwork of external organizations or that of home-grown terrorists. However, as usual, most politicians in India started blaming Pakistan even before a proper investigation into the incident could be carried out.

The administration must learn a lesson from this episode and put strong measures in place to thwart such attacks. One hopes that there is no revival of terrorism in Punjab.

M.T. Khan,

Amritsar

Sir — The chief minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, has blamed Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence for the recent terror strike in Adliwal village. The involvement of Khalistani separatists also cannot be ruled out. The manner in which the attack was carried out shows that there are large gaps in our intelligence network. Both the state and the Union governments should try their best to get hold of the criminals.

N.R. Ramachandran,

Chennai

Sir — The leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly, H.S. Phoolka, has said that the Indian army chief, Bipin Rawat, might have orchestrated the attack in Amritsar. The Aam Aadmi Party legislator later expressed regret for his statement. However, Phoolka’s accusation had by then given some people an excuse to play down the terror attack. Politicians must desist from sullying the image of the armed forces. They should remember that our soldiers put their lives at risk to defend the country and its people.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal,

Dariba, Delhi

Sir — There should be no politics over terror strikes. If we are serious about taking on the terrorists, we must not point fingers at one another. Moreover, Punjab has had to deal with terrorism during the heyday of the Khalistan movement. It is also no secret that certain elements based in Pakistan are, once again, trying to foment insurgency in the region. Given the history and the current political context, our leaders should rise above partisan agenda and act in the interest of the nation.

M. Alam,

Mumbai

Hot topic

Sir — The news report, “Coffee or tea? The answer may lie in your genes” (Nov 17), was a bit perplexing. It is difficult to agree with the proposition that genetics may have a role to play in determining whether one likes to drink tea or coffee. Siblings often show contrasting preferences for beverages; this would have been unlikely if the choice were rooted in genes. Also, the fondness for a particular hot drink can change with age, social mobility, peer pressure and so on.

It is surprising that the University of Queensland had to conduct a study to find out that it is hard “to drink a lot of both at the same time”.

Tapan Pal,

South 24 Parganas

Parting shot

Sir — Most people have an aversion to wasps, probably because their stings are painful. Although bee-stings can be equally painful, many admire bees for the honey that they produce. It would be nice if more people appreciated the crucial role that wasps play in pollination.

M.N. Gupta,

Bokaro