Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Fighting terror

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has done well by urging the police to avoid stereotypes and win the trust of civil society (Nov. 24). Police should take his observations seriously and make the institution more credible. In view of the growing threat of terror attacks and communal violence, this is the right time to set up a task force.

K.S. Thampi,

Chennai

The police have the responsibility to restore people’s faith in democracy and shed their tarnished image. But they can achieve this only if they are insulated from political interference.

Y. Santosh Kumar,

Hyderabad

While coming out with a road map on the steps to be taken to meet the challenge of terrorism, naxalism and insurgency, the proposed task force should remember that the root cause of the problems lies in social and economic disparities. Every possible attempt should be made to address the main issue rather than just combat the effect generated by it.

Nishant Shrivastava,

New Delhi

The police force is the only agency that is available for help ‘round the clock’. But brutalities, improper investigations, violation of human rights and apathy to the common man have damaged their reputation. The police-bureaucrat-politician nexus along with frequent political interference in policing have badly affected the criminal justice system.

Though the primary role of police is prevention and detection of crime, besides the maintenance of public order, the ground realities have undergone a big change since the 1980s. Over the last three decades, the police have been required to deal with serious challenges of militancy and terrorism. In many cases, the police do not possess the required manpower, capability and resources to tackle the challenges. Governments have never bothered to strengthen and modernise the police.

Major Mathew Oommen,

Pune

The BJP’s top leadership has protested strongly against the alleged torture of sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur in ATS custody. But its leaders were silent when a Christian nun was raped in Kandhamal in broad daylight during the violence perpetrated by the Bajrang Dal. The arrest of fundamentalist Hindus in connection with the Malegaon blast and the attacks on the minority communities in the BJP-ruled States are a matter of serious concern.

Cletus Dias,

Mumbai

The report that the National Security Adviser has assured L.K. Advani that Pragnya’s charges of torture against the police would be probed reveals not only the BJP’s but also the UPA government’s double standards on terror. The same government firmly refused to order a judicial inquiry into the Batla House encounter.

The BJP which cries foul now has been campaigning for the enactment of a draconian law along the lines of POTA, under which the confession of an accused is admissible in court as evidence. At least now, it should stop demanding such a law and have faith in the basic principle that a person is innocent until proved guilty.

Mahmood Alam Siddiqui,

New Delhi

The term Hindutva terror is as contradictory as the expression Islamist terror because no religion sanctions any act which is against humanity or designed to harm others. It is politicians and religious leaders who use terror to achieve their ends. People should be aware of the designs of those who play with their emotions to garner support and legitimise their actions. The state should marginalise the dangerous elements so that the country’s secular fabric remains intact.

Jannat,

Jammu

A debate has ensued on the secular credentials of the army in the wake of Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit’s arrest in connection with the Malegaon blast. The army is essentially secular in character despite the many eroding influences on it. This is in sharp contrast to all other institutions. If an aberration has taken place, it is important to go into the cause rather than blame the institution. The defence forces are part of the larger society and cannot be completely insulated from its influence.

The service condition of the armed forces personnel, especially at the middle level, has gone from bad to worse. Politicians have no time for the defence forces, bureaucrats want to cut down the service chiefs to size and society does not care for them any more.

Col. V.K. Bali,

Agra

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