Without remorse

Sir — The Telegraph has dramatized Dhananjoy Chatterjee’s execution, a la the tabloids. However, amidst the details of the condemned man’s last wishes, including his preference for a particular singer’s numbers and a lunch consisting of postor bada and rosogolla, one notices the humanity of the felon and his jailers. Even the behaviour of the octogenarian hangman — detached and professional prior to the execution and utterly emotional after the act — speaks volumes about the man who carried out the ghastly chore of legal killing but retained his compassion. I was overwhelmed by your reports that revealed, wittingly or unwittingly, the workings of a civilized system of law and recalled the famous speech in Rabindranath’s “Gandharir Abedan”: “Danditer saathe dandadaataa kaande jabe samaan aaghaate, sarbashrestha se bichaar”.

Yours faithfully,
Narasinngha Sil, Calcutta

Sir — It was amazing that even on August 15, “Gallows march with music” topped the headlines on the front page and the 58th Independence Day failed to find any place in it. The media have made Dhananjoy Chatterjee a celebrity.

Yours faithfully,
Sujit Kumar Sen Gupta, Manirampore

Sir — Even after the date for hanging Dhananjoy Chatterjee had been announced, two rapes took place in West Bengal within a week’s time. What has the execution achieved? Also remember, Bapi Sen’s killers escaped the death sentence on the grounds that they were too “young” (they were still above 30), but the law court failed to notice that Dhananjoy was only 28 when he was sentenced to death for the first time in 1991.

Yours faithfully,
Zaki Mubarki, Calcutta

Sir — In the days leading up to Dhananjoy’s execution, some proponents of the death penalty went out of their way to hurl personal abuses at those who were opposing it. It was implied that the opponents of the penalty could only understand the gravity of the case if their own family members were raped and murdered. What is the basis of this “moral high ground”, and the almost axiomatic inference that anyone against capital punishment in principle is bound to be insensitive and selfish?

Yours faithfully,
Saumitra Banerjee, Hereford, UK

Sir — What was the news value of the photograph of the vehicle carrying Dhananjoy’s body?

Yours faithfully,
Abhijit Majumder, Calcutta

Sir — The media coverage of the execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee is unprecedented in the history of India. Even Nathuram Godse’s hanging did not get such publicity.

Yours faithfully,
Shubhodip Pal Chowdhary, Calcutta

Sir — Since the day Hetal Parekh died, people have been waiting for an exemplary punishment for the crime Dhananjoy committed. Social activists had been clamouring for the “human rights” of Hetal’s killer. But what about those of Hetal?

Yours faithfully,
Mangalika Mitra, Calcutta

Sir — When I drove past the Alipore Central Jail on my way home in the evening prior to the hanging, I was shocked to see the teeming crowd that had gathered, along with TV crews from almost every channel. Then I thought of the countless criminals who occupy positions of power despite having committed crimes such as rape, extortions and murders. There is still no law to give common citizens like us justice.

Yours faithfully,
Nisheeth Bijawat, Calcutta

Sir — The Hetal Parekh saga reminds me of the seven-year-old New Jersey child, Megan Kanka, who was brutally raped and murdered in 1994, leading to the Federal enactment of the Megan’s law in 1996. India should consider enacting a parallel stringent sexual predator law where the police will, in addition, notify the public of such offenders as a form of social punishment.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das, Calcutta

Sir — It makes me sick to think that we have not been able to find a humane punishment even at this day and age. Even the president of India ultimately decided on death for Dhananjoy. So did our chief minister, along with his wife and daughter. Did they pause to ask, what if the man were really innocent? Given the corrupt police force and judiciary in India, the probability of this is high. But then why spoil the fun? Particularly when this is an excellent way to vent our anger and frustration at our own helplessness in the face of growing crime, the inefficiency of the police force, the criminal-politician nexus, corruption and so on.

Yours faithfully,
Debabrata Das, Minneapolis

Sir — Dhananjoy Chatterjee had been hanged more than five times. How else would one describe his anxiety each time the call to the gallows came?

Yours faithfully,
Shammek Bose, Calcutta

Sir — The details that were dished out about Dhananjoy’s routine in the last few days made us feel as if we were invisible partners in his cell, whether we wanted it or not. On August 13, while we sat before our TV sets to watch the gala opening ceremony of the Olympics, Dhananjoy remained in our minds. Next morning, as I read the newspaper, someone switched on the TV set which beamed the re-telecast of the Athens Olympics. There was a weird parallel between the two events. One celebrating life and vigour, and the other death. Was it a celebration that we had just participated in? Didn’t Dhananjoy make a mockery of us when he prayed to god to bless us all? Yes, indeed, we do need his blessings! We the sadist onlookers, we who never bother to know what Hetal went through or bother to share the pain of the widowed Purnima.

Yours faithfully,
Sudarshana Dhar, Calcutta

Sir — Even though the state is a murderer in a way, I feel justice has been done in Hetal’s case. My mother, a 73-year-old, was strangled to death by a man who needed just a few thousand rupees and had entered the house on the pretext of repairing the fan. He also beat up my 78-year old father unconscious, and fled. He was arrested the same night, identified by my father, and confessed to the police, all in a period of 12 hours. That was on February 24, 1997, and till this day, the case has not come to court. (FIR no 116/24.02.1997, at Jadavpur P.S, 24 Parganas).

Yours faithfully,
Baijayanti Das, Calcutta

Sir — Several reports showed students and teachers of Welland Gouldsmith School supportive of the execution. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the philosophy of the jungle. One should not encourage this irresponsible behaviour among students and teachers. Have we forgotten a recently widowed missionary who said she had “forgiven” the culprit who burnt her husband and two sons alive?

Yours faithfully,
Sanjoy Ghose, Calcutta