Careless celebration

Sir — According to media reports, 32 people were killed in Pallipat village in Tamil Nadu when a devastating fire broke out in a shop selling firecrackers. For the families of those 32 people, this was not a time for festivities. Diwali should be celebrated as a festival of light. However, Diwali celebrations often take a dangerous turn with fire destroying property and lives. It is time the government banned the production of firecrackers. They are not only dangerous but they also cause noise and air pollution.

Yours faithfully,
Cajetan Peter D’Souza, Mumbai

Soft target

Sir — The manner in which the probe into the blast in Margao, Goa, is being handled is a matter of concern (“Sadhvi ‘link’ in Diwali-eve Goa blast”, Oct 18). Accusations are being hurled at the Hindutva group, Sanatan Sanstha, even before the investigations have been completed. This indicates a biased attitude on the part of the government. It also exposes the government’s lack of sincerity in combating terrorism.

The police have not yet been able to find any substantial evidence that could link the Sanstha to the blast. But there has been a proposal to ban the organization on the basis of allegations that those involved in the blast are its members. But if a suspect in a criminal case is a member of an organization, is it a good enough reason to ban the entire outfit? If this were to be true, then the Nationalist Congress Party should have also been banned when its member, Padamsinh Patil, was the prime accused in the Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case. It seems that the Goa government is using the Margao blast case to divert people’s attention from the cases of idol breaking in Goa, against which the members of the Sanstha were protesting.

Yours faithfully,
A. Sadhika, Mumbai

Sir — The Margao blast has brought to light, once again, the dirty game that politicians play. It is unlikely that the Sanatan Sanstha, a religious organization that has been dragged into the controversy, was involved in the incident. Perhaps the organization’s efforts to inculcate a respect for religion among people have earned it so many enemies.

The police and the media seem to be biased in their investigations. The police have detained Suresh Naik, the owner of the scooter in which the explosives were purportedly kept, and stated that Naik bought the vehicle from Nishad Bakle, a member of the Sanstha. But the Sanstha has rejected the charges. At a time when terrorism is haunting India,the police and the media should exercise caution before pointing fingers at others.

Yours faithfully,
Suryatmaj T, Mumbai

Sir — It is unfortunate that the Sanatan Sanstha, a spiritual organization, is being maliciously targeted by the police who have blamed it for the Margao blast. What is astonishing is the speed with which the police acted to conduct a search on the ashram. This urgency was missing when a truckload of swords had been allegedly recovered in Motidongar in Margao only a few days earlier. Hopefully, the government will discard its double standards and investigate the incident without prejudice.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind D. Tapkire, Mumbai

Sir — The Margao blast seems to be a conspiracy to incriminate a committed spiritual organization. If the blame is put on the Sanatan Sanstha, it will help the real perpetrators escape punishment. The authorities should realize that this might compromise the safety of the country. One wonders if the blast was a premeditated attempt to malign the Sanstha.

Yours faithfully,
Vijayalakshmi G, Chennai