Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Death penalty

Sir, — On August 14, Dhananjoy Chatterjee will be hanged. While he deserves the punishment, his death, when it comes, should shift the focus to the forces responsible for his crime. As Hetal Parekh was a victim of Dhananjoy, the latter is himself a victim of a society that has no time for people like him. He is the product of a society where education is not about ethical values and humane feelings; it is about lucrative careers and money.

Venkatesan R. Iyengar,
Hyderabad

Sir, — It is amazing that some people want sympathy to be shown on "humanitarian grounds" to a person convicted of an inhuman crime!

R. Venkata Ramanan,
Coimbatore, T.N.

Sir, — `An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' is a retrograde and barbaric concept.

Deepak Hiranandani,
Gurgaon, Haryana

Sir, — It is sad that Dhananjoy's mercy petition has been rejected. This, after he spent a lifetime in the shadow of death.

Amjadh Mohammed,
Kollam, Kerala

Sir, — The families of the victims may find some sense of justice in executing the criminal but such emotions should play no role in shaping the policies of a state. Death penalty is an anachronism today; it is time to abolish it.

Naresh P. Cuntoor,
Greenbelt, Maryland

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