Editor,
Apropos Patricia Mukhim’s article, “Why this culture of impunity” (ST, April 20, 2018), when a rape culminates in murder by a criminal, it is a common error to brand him as a rapist and this common error exposes our culture of impunity. As a matter of fact, such a criminal should be called a killer rapist and he must get double punishment for his capital offence – if it is a life imprisonment then he must be kept in an isolated cell till his death. Similar to this common error, our society had accepted rape and murder as, so to speak, an old normal. Then Nirbhaya happened. It was a public tsunami against such an offence. It could have been a watershed in the history of gender justice had we remained as vocal post – Nirbhaya.
Unfortunately, we keep on behaving like three wise monkeys ~ of speaking no evil, seeing no evil and hearing no evil when a Nirbhaya happens to be a socially and economically backward girl. As many as six Dalit Nirbhayas are raped every day in our country. Many of such rapes end in murders. But agonizing series of atrocities against downtrodden girls remain just as “o hota hai” even post – Nirbhaya. Things have come to such a pass that some people, politicians and advocates had gone to such extremes as to openly leap to the defence of the criminals who kidnapped, raped and murdered a small nomadic tribal girl. What a shame that these anti – national forces are trying to cheat their real identity by masquerading as nationalists!
A reverse – Nirbhaya movement, as it were, was staged to create Bhaya (fear) in the minds of the nomadic Bakarwal community to which the Kathua girl belonged. It tells a very sad tale of not only lust but also of greed of some people who must have had a motive for gain in terrorising and banishing the tribal people from the forest area in Jammu province.
Now, when the people are slowly raising their voices of sanity in favour of a tribal victim, it looks like rain on burning desert sands. Let it be a downpour that can wash out our apathy towards our Dalit/ poor/ downtrodden sisters of our country.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Of religious hypocrisy
Editor,
I fully endorse the view expressed by Mebaaihun Blah in his letter published on April 21 April, 2018 in your esteemed daily in connection with the article by Fabian Lyngdoh, “In the image of man He created Him”. He was spot on in his assertion about ‘the foul actions and attitudes of so called Christian institutions’. I would like to add here that such foul actions and attitudes are not restricted to ‘Christian institutions’ only. Similar attitudes are prevalent in institutions run by persons of other religions as well. Most often than not, the attitude and behaviour of so called religious persons towards the common man is horrendous. In the month of February this year, I was an unfortunate witness to one such abominable behaviour of the head of one well known non-Christian institution based in Sohra. On that day few teachers of a Shillong based school had gone to meet the Secretary of that institution to apprise him about their problems and difficulties. The saffron clad Secretary instead of listening to the teachers insulted them in full public view and spoke such vitriolic words, which I never imagined any head of a religious institution can utter. Out of curiosity, I followed the matter and was utterly shocked to learn that the salaries of those teachers had been held up till date as punishment for daring to express their grievances. It is well established that most of the functionaries of such institutions hardly follow what has been written in the scriptures. They think that after GOD they are the most powerful and knowledgeable persons having authority to do whatever they like and their action is not subject to any question and scrutiny. So, let us pray to GOD to forgive such religious persons because they know not what they are doing.
Yours etc.,
- K. Kehar
Shillong-6
Give the school kids a break!
Editor,
As a resident of the Upper LACHUMIERE locality, I would like to take advantage of your newspaper to highlight the plight of residents in this locality. The road leading to Upper Lachumiere from Malki point has become a sort of a bye-pass for most vehicles proceeding to Don Bosco/St. Edmund’s areas. It is especially an effort in the morning when we have to walk this road to drop our kids to school. It causes a severe headache for us parents to control the children while maneuvering this lane as they have to avoid vehicles coming from both directions.
The walk in this road is made worse by the cars parked on the stretch of this lane. A few of the guest houses situated in this lane also add to the woes as the vehicles belonging to their guests are parked next to these guest houses causing a two-way parking. I have noticed that a few ‘No Parking’ signs have been painted on the walls on one side of this lane, but the vehicle owners care a damn about these signs. Even the Locality Rangbah has never been seen to take corrective
measures to clear this mess in this locality.
We as parents of school-going kids, beg the respective Dorbar Shnong to take stern measures not to allow parking on this lane and create a healthy atmosphere in the locality.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request