Scourge of casteism

Refer to ‘Caste-based violence’; casteism and communalism are the blackest spots on our Indian polity that are undermining our national solidarity. The accused Balwant Singh should be booked not only for inflicting cruelty and indignity on two Dalit men, but also for trying to ‘buy’ voters by offering them enticements of liquor and cash. How long will Dalits continue to be humiliated? Our cultural legacy will remain tainted till the evil of casteism is eradicated.

Roshan Lal Goel, Ladwa

Caste injustice

The editorial ‘Caste-based violence’ rationally diagnoses the millennia-old sickness of our caste-based social life. The horrible incident of caste oppression from Aurangabad in Bihar should wake us up from our deep slumber. The hair-raising incident in which a defeated panchayat candidate, Balwant Singh, is seen forcing Dalit men in a video-clip to spit on the ground and lick it deserves to be strongly opposed and condemned by all and sundry. It is pathetic and shocking to find the remote rural areas of Bihar still haunted by the barbaric hangover of caste injustice and discrimination. For the Dalits, life has not changed much in the countryside even after 75 years of our Independence. The dream of social equality still remains a mirage to many of them. I support the view that those who play with their honour and trample on their dignity must be given an exemplary punishment.

RAJ BAHADUR YADAV, Fatehabad

Belated action

Reference to ‘Recover Rs 1 cr from 79 schools, DEOs told’; it is a complicated narrative as the department, DEOs and the schools concerned are in confusion. The amount was not released to the schools year-wise in one instalment. It appears that the department is trying to conceal its inefficiency by making the schools the scapegoat. The list of defaulting students, along with the amount recoverable, is neither available with the department nor the schools. Further, the parameters for finding the defaulting amounts and wrongful student beneficiaries are also not known. Also, it is wrong to say that the schools claimed amounts by faking enrolments because no school can dare commit such a blunder. The solution is to close this chapter by writing off the amount which cannot be recovered at this belated stage.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Rebuilding heritage

Reference to the news report ‘Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath corridor’; it is a historically and archaeologically proven fact that Indian civilisation was invaded, destroyed and robbed of its cultural heritage and richness several times by ‘vistaarvaadi’ tyrants and powers. As such, rebuilding, redeveloping and refurbishing our heritage testifies to a new India in the making, where infrastructure development and perseverance of cultural Indianism will go along simultaneously and will supplement each other.

Krishan Kant Sood, Nangal

Honouring war veterans

Apropos of the report ‘Rajnath: 1971 War showed India’s commitment towards humanity’, it is rightly said that the Bangladesh war was fought against the atrocities on common people that shows our commitment towards humanity. Having participated in the war, I know how people were tortured and women raped. We recovered girls from bunkers. Our soldiers gave their turbans to cover the naked bodies. An army which lacks morality can never be victorious. This government ordered to give Yudh Sewa Samman Award to those Emergency Commissioned and Short Service Commissioned Officers who participated in the 1965 and 1971 wars and were not granted permanent commission in the Army. There are hardly 400 such officers, many of them are above the age of 80 years. It will be a good gesture to award such veterans.

Capt Amar Jeet Kumar (Retd), Mohali

Women judges

Apropos of ‘Being Chief Justice is stressful, says Ramana’, the CJI must take up the demand of women lawyers for representation of women beyond 50 per cent on the Bench not only with his colleagues in the Collegium, but also with the government. This will help women victims in the cases of rape and domestic violence, as female judges would have more empathy and patience as compared to their male counterparts.

Upendra Sharma, by mail

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