Editor,
I happen to be a person involved at the grassroots level (nongtrei kam shnong) during this crucial time of the Corona. Despite our best efforts, I and others in my locality have to experience extreme frustration when encountering two types of people who I describe below:-
The first type are those who wear their religion as a badge of honour and would like to show off that they have more faith than others. These people openly defy government health advisories like social distancing, wearing masks, etc and incite others to do the same on the pretext that everything is in the hands of God and that the ones that have faith cannot be touched by any disease and that if they die, it will also be by the will of God only. Sadly, these people happen to be “educated” and are considered to be “good people” who rarely if at all utter any unkind word to others. The tragedy is that these people are influencing others who look up to them. Under the circumstances, since there is no legal or punitive action that can be taken against them, we are left hoping that the Corona will not touch our locality otherwise once the disease reaches us it will surely spread like wildfire. My only hope at this time is for Pastors and Priests to make vocal and visible appeals in the media for people to shed their false and dangerous beliefs or otherwise their fanaticism will be a cause of death for many. Here, I would like to mention that these fanatics will likely listen to only Pastors and Priests as these people look up to religious leaders as “authorities” they will only listen to and people such as these are there all over the state.
The second type of people are those who have had some sort of “scientific” education and are/have been holding some sort of ” respectable” station in life. These people think nothing of the Corona and also influence others to believe that the Corona is ‘just another type of flu’ and can be warded off, in the words of one of these individuals,”by applying Vicks in the nostrils”. For this kind of intellectual arrogance, I unfortunately see no cure for they are wilfully blind.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Via email
Not curfew but restrictions
Editor,
The city of Shillong was sitting easy till a few days back with no Covid 19 cases, but all of a sudden there was news that one person had tested positive for Covid 19, and sadly the person passed away and now there are quite a few cases of Covid 19 from the same family and its circles. The reaction of the State administration in this entire scenario was questionable, as immediately after the detection of the first case of Covid 19, the State decided to impose curfew all over Shillong. As a result ordinary people were left panic stricken with a fear psychosis. At such a time the State should realise that there is no need of imposing curfew, but what are needed are stringent restrictions all over the city. Shillong being a small city has certain major areas which can be termed as market areas. One of them is Laitumkhrah, which is witnessing heavy rush, the moment curfew is relaxed, as people are forced to indulge in panic buying without maintaining any distancing norms. This is dangerous as it could allow deadly virus to spread from person to person. It is logical for people to rush to purchase their basics needs for survival.
At this juncture the State should allow the basic grocery shops to remain open in every locality on a daily basis so that people get their necessities without having to rush unlike in the present situation where the moment the curfew is relaxed people come out in large numbers thereby putting each other in a dangerous situation. In the city of Guwahati, the government has not imposed curfew but has followed the lockdown process strictly. Now after a month of lockdown people in Guwahati have more or less accepted the process and have started maintaining social as well as physical distance. Thus the Chief Minister of Meghalaya needs to ensure that lockdown procedures are followed religiously and imposition of curfew is not the necessary solution.
Yours etc.,
Dhiraj Borkotoky
Guwahati
Conscientious judgment
Editor,
Let’s go through the real story set in Bihar resembling the anti-climax of a movie where a benevolent judge emerges from nowhere when the child protagonist and the viewers were expecting the worst! Fatherless, unhealed fractured leg and visionless right eye (both due to lack of medical care), the 16-year old hungry boy from a destitute family somehow persisting through petty jobs and further cornered economically thanks to the lockdown, steals a woman’s purse to save his mentally-disturbed mother and 12-year old brother from sinking towards inevitable death due to continued hunger.
The boy stole a woman’s purse and was arrested. Instead of being blindly guided by the law book and their various punitive sections the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Manvendra Mishra not only freed him from guilt but did many things besides. Judge Mishra also made arrangements for purchasing food grains vegetables and clothes for the poor family with his own money. He then directed the local administration to ensure that the family did not go hungry in future and also receive the benefits of all welfare schemes!
Indeed lessons can be learnt from this real humanitarian story. Judge Mishra has clearly conveyed through his verdict that application of mind heart and conscience are much more important than mechanical reading of the law books and relevant sections. Also he has proved that rule of humanity is infinite times more important than rules inscribed in books. Hope all judges, especially those dealing with cases involving the poor, vulnerable and hapless people, would exercise this rule of humanity and deliver verdicts laced with compassion, by taking into account the exact circumstances which compelled the accused to commit “unlawful” acts.
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Kolkata 114