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Unfortunate

It is most unfortunate that two class VIII students reportedly shot dead their classmate, Abhishek Tyagi, in a fit of rage in a school in Gurgaon. The incident was reminiscent of American high school shootings. That one of the accused hid his father’s gun in his sock and brought it to school shows that the murder was planned meticulously. Teenage gun culture of the West is taking deep root in the minds of our young. The parents of the accused who laid his hands on the gun are squarely to blame for Abhishek’s death.

Neeli Kanth,

Secunderabad

The gruesome incident is a reflection of the impact that violence in movies, television serials and computer games has on youngsters. Depiction of violence incites aggressive behaviour in children and even de-sensitises them to its consequences. They come to believe that violence is acceptable. What happened in the Gurgaon school was entirely due to the negligence of the parent who kept a loaded gun within his son’s reach. The school authorities could not have anticipated the crime which was well planned by the assailants to take revenge on the victim who was allegedly bullying them.

K.V. Ravindran,

Payyanur

If a simple altercation between students could lead to the pulling of the trigger five times, one wonders what more is in store for us. Children these days are much more than what they are supposed to be. Many instances show that they behave really menacingly in their circles. Often, their rage defies comprehension.

It is the family ambience that is to be blamed for this. Parents spoil their children and even take pride in publicising it. The money affluent school children spend poses another problem. They develop a tendency to view everything in terms of money. The Gurgaon incident should warn us that the menace is round the corner and more children whose parents have guns in their homes may think of imitating the young boys.

Vaatupura A. Jayaprakash,

Kottayam

The gory incident cannot be seen as an isolated act of child rage. It is a harbinger of the gun culture that is fast taking root in our society. Possessing a licensed gun is considered a status symbol among the rich and there is more demand for the same. The Jessica Lal murder was an instance of misuse of the gun licence. Gun licences should be restricted and the licensees held responsible for their misuse.

M.K.B. Nambiar,

Mahe

It is clear that present-day children lack moral values. While there is a controversy over introducing sex education in the school curriculum, never have we paid attention to the inculcation of values such as love, trust, tolerance, and forgiveness in young minds. Youngsters have uncontrolled access to the media which provide them with unbridled news of murder, sex, rape, sadism, and brutality. They grow up thinking these are the ways of the world.

Md. Heshamuddin,

New Delhi

Parents across the country, I am sure, must be anxious about the safety of their children in schools. The Gurgaon incident is perhaps the first of its kind in our country. It is a reflection of the degeneration of character due to reasons not taken serious note of. Television has corrupted the minds of children. The responsibility to safeguard students lies with the principal and class teachers. They should keep an eye on students who are violent. Parents have an equal responsibility to watch their wards. But all this is missing today because of the mushrooming of schools and colleges, preoccupation of parents with other things and the advent of nuclear families.

A. Ranganathan,

Coimbatore

The shooting reiterates the irresponsible manner in which youngsters are brought up. Students from affluent families, in particular, are becoming more violent. Although we cannot support the brutal killing of Abhishek, we cannot remain oblivious to the reason. I recollect how during my college days a few bullies used to intimidate and torture the rest of the students. We need to look into the matter in totality and take corrective action to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.

N. Ramachandran,

Durgapur What is astounding is that bullies are allowed to get away because teachers and parents think that bullying is part of normal school life. If bullying is nipped in the bud, bullies will not succeed in traumatising fellow students to the extent of driving them to resort to the gun.

Tony George Jacob,

New Delhi

Inadequate security in the school has been blamed for the Gurgaon incident. Some are pointing an accusing finger at the parent for not keeping the licensed gun under lock and key. Both these are external controls. Locks and metal detectors cannot control a brutalised mind which is at the root of this killing.

Poison from public life is seeping into the minds of the young through the media. The land of ahimsa has become a land of political murders, communal riots, fake encounter killings and so on. The young are exposed to all this day after day and as the crime graph soars, they take to the ways of the adults.

Matthew Adukanil,

Chennai

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