Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

He deserved better

The happenings of the two days that followed the Kannada icon Rajkumar's death were shocking. A man of his stature deserved better. The mindless vandalism indulged in by the so-called fans of Rajkumar raises questions about our maturity as a society. What is the image we are projecting to the world at large?

S.R. Kamalacharan,
Bangalore

The violence once again showed our country and its people in a poor light. That it broke out in Bangalore, which prides itself as the epitome of modern India, is even more shameful.

Bharat Bhushan,
Edison, New Jersey

What should have been a solemn, tearful farewell turned out to be an occasion of horror. An actor par excellence and a gentleman to the core, Rajkumar deserved a farewell fit for a citizen extraordinaire.

E. Radhakrishna,
Bangalore

It is unfortunate that the demise of the thespian was misused by miscreants to create chaos and confusion.

K.L. Brunda,
Bangalore

Rajkumar's death is a great loss to the film industry. It has created a void that cannot be filled easily. The violence that followed his demise was uncalled for.

S. Subramaniam,
Chennai

It is difficult to agree with Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's assertion that Rajkumar's fans were not involved in the violence. For him it is convenient to blame the police who cannot retaliate. Unfortunately, our politicians have, for many years, condoned a growing streak of indiscipline, lawlessness, and violence, often perpetrated by marginal elements.

Rajesh Krishnamurthy,
Simsbury, Connecticut

The Kumaraswamy Government failed to mobilise the police in time. It was clear from the day Rajkumar died that the situation was volatile and required proper handling.

The large-scale mayhem proved that patronising fan clubs can prove dangerous. The police were not even allowed to react and helpless men in khaki were seen running for their lives. The Government is to blame for the breakdown of law and order.

N.V.R. Nathan,
Bangalore

The Kannada thespian was an idol of the masses, as evidenced by the spontaneous closure of all establishments and shops throughout Karnataka as a mark of respect to him. However, this was not without some amount of emotional and violent coercion in several parts of the State. Great loss of property was caused by the violence. This spoilt the solemnity of the occasion.

C.V. Subbaraman,
Ahmedabad

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

People's needs over party politics
Securing our cities
A new kind of history textbook
GoM's confidential report
Narmada project: clearing the confusion
The child, the media and the law
The cost of 3ºC global rise in temperature
Twin blasts
Narmada issue
Poll survey
He deserved better
Dance bars

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu