Poetic justice

Sir — The ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar has thrown the state into a complete disarray. As voters scurry for documents to prove their citizenship, a strange piece of news has come to light — a dog from Patna was issued a residence certificate by the state government. A domicile certificate bearing the photograph of a dog with the name, Dog Babu, who is the son of ‘Kutta Babu’ and ‘Kutiya Devi’ — all evidently fake details — and signed by an official authority was considered for the SIR. While the incident has put the authenticity of the entire process under the scanner, one cannot help but think it is poetic justice for stray canines who are often deprived of their rightful living spaces by humans.

Sachin Anand,
Begusarai, Bihar

Friends again

Sir — In a dramatic diplomatic reset, Prime Minister Narendra Modi graced the Independence Day celebrations of the Maldives as the guest of honour. This marks a significant U-turn from last year’s tensions when the Maldivian president, Mohamed Muizzu, ordered the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. The two nations have now signed six memoranda of understanding in fields such as fisheries and aquaculture, meteorology, and digital public infrastructure. India also announced a $565-million line of credit and provided 72 heavy vehicles to the Maldives.

Modi called India the Maldives’ “most trusted friend” and “first responder”. This shift reflects a strategic necessity. The Maldives cannot ignore India’s regional clout and support, while stability in the Maldives is crucial for India’s maritime security. The rekindled ties underline that mutual dependence and geopolitical realities ultimately outweigh hostilities.

R.S. Narula,
Patiala

Sir — To mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of India-Maldives diplomatic relations, Narendra Modi visited the island nation to strengthen ties that date back decades. Cooperation has been the hallmark of the ties between the two countries. Both nations also share a common cultural background and the Maldives holds a special place in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. Such regional collaboration holds immense importance for geostrategy.

Dimple Wadhawan,
Kanpur

Betrayed lot

Sir — Injustices against Kashmiris date back to 1947 when the Instrument of Accession was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh (“A tattered bond”, July 26). Violations of its provisions and the events that occurred in the subsequent decades — the insurgency in the late 80s and the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits — made Kashmir greatly unstable. However, the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state in 2019 made Kashmir vulnerable. The following years saw rampant violation of fundamental rights and the suppression of media freedoms, ushering in complete authoritarianism.

Prasun Kumar Dutta,
West Midnapore

Sir — Ramachandra Guha must be congratulated for portraying the horror that befell Kashmiris and the betrayal they experienced. Guha’s rightful condemnation of the demonisation of Kashmiris on social media was noteworthy.

Kajal Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Cruel siege

Sir — The people of Gaza are facing acute malnutrition as a result of Israel’s genocidal war. Recently published photographs from Gaza of famished people desperate for food and skeletal children are extremely heart-rending. Words like ‘humanity’, ‘conscience’, ‘empathy’ and ‘altruism’ ring hollow given the collective global inaction in the face of mass starvation in Gaza. At present, there is not enough international pressure on Israel to stop its injustices against Palestinians. Israel does not even feel the compulsion to explain how its objectives of defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages are achieved by forcing starvation on the vulnerable civilian population. This reveals a collective failure of humanity.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The brutality and the tyranny that Israel is perpetrating in the Gaza Strip are unmatched. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in Gaza. A gruesome slaughter is unfolding in front of us and the world seems to be only interested in rhetoric.

Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur

Call to action

Sir — Responding to a request from the United Nations General Assembly for an advisory to ensure protection from greenhouse gas emissions, the International Court of Justice recently ruled that countries are obliged to prevent harm from climate change. While the advisory is not binding on countries, it can have implications for environmental jurisprudence and stronger climate action.

The Paris Agreement of 2015 provided a roadmap for climate action. However, the increasing frequency of adverse weather events in recent years has highlighted the absence of a collective resolve to decarbonise the world economy. This is because developed countries have continued to shun their moral obligations towards reparations. It is hoped the ICJ advisory would nudge their conscience into doing something concrete for climate justice.

M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Watery grave

Sir — A recent survey has highlighted that over 25 deaths by drowning are reported in Bengal daily (“Deep waters”, July 28). The government needs to act on it. Steps must be taken to ensure that children do not fall into ponds. Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be made mandatory.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta