Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Gruesome killings

The reported statement of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav that the Noida killings do not reflect the law and order problem in the State (Jan. 3) is typical of a politician who knows he cannot do anything about the situation. He has resorted to the same old game of comparing the crime figures of his State with those of others. He has proudly proclaimed that only 16 kidnappings have come to light in the three years of his rule and that the number of murders under the BJP Government was 700 a day. The decline in the number of crimes is not surprising, given that many cases are not even registered. It is well known that in our country, the more the money and political power, the quicker the filing of an FIR or the tampering with it.

I. Abrar Md. Abdullah,
Chennai

* * *

It is shocking to learn that someone could actually sexually assault and murder children with impunity for two years without being noticed by the police. It is only too clear that the state and its instruments discriminate against the poor. The kidnap of a child who belongs to a well-to-do family hogs the media limelight and the government machinery works overtime but serial murders go unnoticed for almost two years because the victims are poor. Do not all citizens enjoy the right to life and equal protection of law?

R.K. Paul Chawang,
Chennai

* * *

If the gross negligence of the police in dealing with the complaints of missing children in Nithari is not failure to maintain law and order, what is it? That even in such an obvious case of official neglect, the Chief Minister can be so casual is appalling. Is he suggesting that since the situation in his State is better than it is in Delhi, it is okay for the U.P. police not to take complaints seriously? Such open defence of lawlessness is shameful.

K. Niyati,
Chennai

* * *

The anger of the villagers of Nithari is quite understandable. For the parents who were waiting in the vain hope that their children would be restored to them one day, the shocking revelation must have been hard to digest. The grisly killings are a grim reminder that child abuse is widely prevalent in India. Steps need to be taken to educate children more on this menace.

S. Sudhir Kumar,
Hyderabad

* * *

There appears to be more to the Noida killings than meets the eye. The readiness with which the master-servant duo confessed to rape and murder may be an attempt to hide something. The involvement of big money, complicity of medical and police personnel, if any, should be categorically ruled out.

Bernard Thangasamy,
Coimbatore

* * *

Were the children sexually assaulted and killed or was there any surgical plundering of the victims' organs as alleged by some villagers? It is incomprehensible how the complaints of missing children were disposed of by the police. The files, it appears, were closed as `not traceable' and buried like the remains of the children.

R. Ramachandra Rao,
Hyderabad

* * *

One wonders whether murders can be committed for two years without the knowledge of the law-enforcement authorities or other powerful people. It may not be wise to let the State police handle the investigation. Time is of the essence and any delay in handing over the case to the CBI may lead to destruction of evidence.

A.P. Thiruvadi,
Chennai

* * *

Dozens of children going missing from a particular area should have made the police suspect foul play. But as they are part of a system that discriminates in the name of caste, creed, and social status, they perhaps did not attach much importance to the happenings that involved poor children.

J.P. Saulina Arnold,
Chennai

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