Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Shocking

The shooting incident in a Gurgaon school in which a standard VIII student, Abhishek Tyagi, was shot dead reportedly by two of his classmates is shocking. Does it signal the arrival of the gun culture among the young in India? How safely can parents bring up their children in such an environment and how can the values of humaneness and tolerance be instilled in them?

One thing is certain. School authorities need to wake up to the reality and take stringent security measures without leaving anything to chance.

P. Senthil Kumar,

Gurgaon

The fact that teenaged students clash and settle scores with guns in schools is a sign of a serious social malady. School is a place where basic human qualities and values are inculcated, preparing them for a future life of amity and understanding.

Teachers and parents together with the media should share the blame for Tuesday’s incident. Love and friendship take a backseat in an atmosphere of competition which spurns values. Children need role-models who can inspire them. If parents want their children to study for economic gains alone, they are sending a wrong and dangerous message.

N.K. Vijayan,

Kizhakkambalam

The horrible incident has sent shockwaves among schools across the nation. How did a student get access to a licensed pistol? What sort of parental care was he getting at home? What kind of education did he get in school? Where are we heading?

Children lack good role-models both at home and school. With neither parents nor teachers to emulate, they are swayed by the media which project umpteen number of negative role-models. We must impart value education and teach students to be critical of the media.

A. Irudayaraj,

Nagapattinam

It was shocking to read that an eighth standard boy was shot dead by his classmates on the school campus. That one of the boys brought a loaded pistol to school and shot Abhishek at the fag end of the day suggests that a lot of planning went into the act.

It is the parents of the accused students and the school who are to blame for the incident. Parents have little time for their children. Schools too have no time to arrange for the counselling of students who behave erratically. Parents and school authorities must meet once in three or four months to discuss the behavioural problems of students.

S. Ramakrishnasayee,

Ranipet

The report of the shooting incident and the death of the 14-year-old makes disturbing reading. It seems that along with hotdogs, hamburgers and pizzas, we have imported the gun culture from the West. The accused must have surely imbibed the culture from the visual media, especially television.

It was sheer negligence on the part of one of the boys’ father to have kept the pistol within his son’s reach.

H.N.S. Mani,

Mysore

Without a shadow of doubt, we are well on our way to globalisation. There will be no looking back now.

Bernard Thangasamy,

Coimbatore

The heinous act is an indication of the deteriorating social culture and intolerance of youngsters. The school authorities and the parents of the accused are responsible for the incident. The parents, in particular, should be booked for their carelessness that led to the boy getting access to the gun.

One still wonders what could have caused the boys to resort to the extreme step of taking away their classmate’s life. The incident is a big blow to our culture. It proves that it is no better than the western culture.

N. Jayaraj,

Chennai

It is difficult to believe that two boys in their early teens could commit such a hideous act. The school authorities cannot be blamed for the incident as it is difficult to keep a check on every student. It is sheer negligence on the part of the parent who kept his gun carelessly. We must also look at the other side of the act. The boys might have acted under grave provocation. The need of the hour is to counsel them.

Aniket Singh,

Mohali

Children reflect our behaviour. The incident shows how children are being groomed by their parents and teachers, how inhuman they are becoming, and what effect our media have on our children. It is unfortunate that the electronic media have done more harm than good to society.

K. Lakshman Rao,

Visakhapatnam

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