Role play: (Clockwise from left) Soumitra Chatterjee in various avatars in Tin Bhubaner Parey, Apur Sansar and Sonar Kella

The report “Briton sick, airport sicker”, May 26, made for sickening reading. Passing the buck seems to be embedded in our psyche. The tug-of-war between officials of Biman Bangladesh and Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Calcutta airport over whose responsibility it was to take a sick British passenger to hospital is an instance of formalities taking precedence over priorities.

The young tourist, who had taken a Biman Bangladesh flight to the city, fell on the floor near the immigration counter and started bleeding from his nose. No official from either side took cognisance of the seriousness of the situation and engaged in a meaningless verbal spat. Their inaction aggravated the medical condition of the youth, as confirmed by a doctor.

Laws are for men and not vice versa. The tourist wanted to be released from the hospital presumably disgusted by the treatment meted out to him at the airport. The airline and AAI officials should be punished for their callousness.

P.B. Saha,
Arlington, Texas

Apropos the picture caption titled “Trail of glory”, June 11, it is wonderful to know that Soumitra Chatterjee has finally won the National Award for best actor. He is undoubtedly one of greatest actors India has produced. His performances in Abhijan and Sat Pake Bandha and many other films have left an indelible impression on the minds of cine-goers.

Prahlad Agarwala,
Majdia, Nadia

As Calcuttans, we are very proud that Soumitra Chatterjee has won the best actor National Award. It is a very good sign that the Bengali film industry is still at the forefront of the art film movement.

Shyamal Ranjan Roy,
GC Road

Soumitra Chatterjee should have won the National Award decades ago. From Apur Sansar to Jai Baba Felunath, Wheelchair to Ballygunge Court, he has played a wide range of characters with great distinction.

Chatterjee had shared screen space with Uttam Kumar in many films and gave the Mahanayak a taste of competition. The addition of a new feather in the veteran actor’s cap will please all lovers of Bengali films.

Sourish Misra,
Salt Lake

Apropos the report “Hotel raid trips cops”, May 30, the inspector and the two constables should be suspended immediately and a panel of senior officers should start an inquiry against them. It appears that the inspector had gone to Taj Bengal to harass the employees and extort money from them.

Motorcycle-borne cops hovering around construction sites and taking money from promoters and building material suppliers is a common sight in the city.

A.S. Mehta,
New Alipore

No reader is naive or gullible enough to believe Lalbazar’s claim that the sub-inspector “went on a raid without any evidence”. The intention of the police team is obvious to all.

The weakness of law-enforcers for five-star addresses is well-known. After a similar fiasco, the commercial tax directorate issued a guideline to its officials not to visit nightclubs and pubs at night. We will, however, wait anxiously to read about the findings of the probe by deputy commissioner (south).

Chameli Pal,
Batanagar

Apropos the report “Students protest raid”, June 9, it is shameful that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s police force and a chapter of the women’s wing of the CPM tried to raid Matangini Mahila Samity, a social welfare organisation run by five women students to protect other women from violence by the party’s cadres. I congratulate the students for standing up to the might of the police and the party. It’s time the Left Front realises that they cannot fool all the people all the time.

Sukumar Ghosh,
Mukundapur

Spirited fight

Kudos to Metro for highlighting the woes of Sarbajit Baidya, a fatherless four-year-old battling leukaemia in Medical College and Hospital (Fight for life and bread from bed No. 65, June 14). Our heart goes to his mother Soma, who not only has to fight for their daily bread but also has to bear the huge monthly expenses for her son’s treatment. The government and different organisations should come forward to save the life of the child.

Kajal Chatterjee,
Sodepur

Tourist draw

Office-goers and tourists will both love the ornamental lights installed in front of GPO (Glowing glory, June 12). The steps taken to beautify certain parts of the city are commendable. Calcutta, despite processions, bandhs and overflowing garbage vats, continues to attract people from across the globe. The government, too, must do its bit to bring in more tourists.

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala

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