Novel nests

Sir — Images of penguins waddling into igloos to keep their eggs warm bring to mind dated Christmas cards. Perhaps drawing polar bears poking their heads into igloos to check for food might have been more geographically accurate given that penguins are found nowhere near the North Pole — the area where you might run into humans living in igloos. African penguins living on Bird Island off the coast of South Africa will not be complaining about this misrepresentation though. Scientists have built ceramic igloos for them to nest in, away from human interference. This is better than having to weather harsh winds and the hot sun during summer, seeing as there is very little cover on the island for these birds that are prone to overheating on land.

Abhirup Biswas, Calcutta

Take guard

Sir — It is unfortunate that China has, once again, transgressed India’s border, this time in a clash along the Line of Actual Control in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. The face-off has left several soldiers injured on both sides. Perhaps Beijing wants to divert attention from the failure of its zero-Covid policy, or maybe it wants to register its displeasure with India for conducting military drills in Uttarakhand with the American army. The Chinese aggression is uncalled for.

D.V.G. Sankararao, Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh

Sir — Since the LAC between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh remains contested, troops from the two countries often clash while patrolling the area. In October 2021, a similar incident had taken place when the Indian army thwarted attempts by Chinese soldiers to take control of a peak near Yangtse. Although infiltration attempts by the People’s Liberation Army in Arunachal Pradesh have repeatedly been foiled owing to significant upgrades in firepower and infrastructure, India should remain alert because China seems to be beefing up positions along the LAC.

C.K. Subramaniam, Chennai

Sir — Regular military-level talks seem to have failed to prevent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in Tawang. Some 300-odd PLA soldiers were allegedly pushed back by Indian soldiers. The local Indian commander later held a flag meeting with his Chinese counterpart to restore peace. This is the first major confrontation reported between the two sides since the one near the disputed Galwan valley in Ladakh in June 2020. Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai „Sir — The United States of America has said it supports India’s actions vis-à-vis China. This should put diplomatic pressure on Beijing.

Kumar Navada, Bengaluru

Fatal custody

Sir — Cases of custodial death seem to have become the new normal. The death of Bara Lalon Sheikh, the principal accused in the massacre at Birbhum’s Bogtui village, while in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation is a serious matter (“Bogtui accused dies in CBI custody”, Dec 13). A judicial investigation into Sheikh’s mysterious death should be ordered. The primary line of enquiry should be about who stood most to gain from Sheikh’s death.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Affordable care

Sir — A parliamentary panel’s recommendation to extend free cancer treatment to middle-class households through the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana is laudable (“Call for free cancer treatment”, Dec 12). The panel’s report also called on the government to regulate the cost of cancer diagnostics and treatment services both in government and private hospitals. Expensive treatment procedures, lack of awareness and paucity of infrastructure required for early detection of cancer have led to acute financial crisis for many families and resulted in avoidable deaths.

Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta

Join forces

Sir — The economist, Pranab Bardhan, has raised alarms about India’s increasing shift towards autocracy in an event organised by the Federation Hall Society in Calcutta (“Economist sees autocracy, says states should resist”, Dec 12). He urged all the states of the nation to join forces to fight the nefarious centralisation of power in the hands of the Union government.

Murtaza Ahmed, Calcutta

Violent retribution

Sir — It was shocking to read that Iran has publicly executed a second man for participating in the ongoing protests against the theocratic regime (“Iranian man hanged from crane in public”, Dec 13). This comes a few days after the hanging of the 23-year-old man, Mohsen Shekari, amidst a spate of measures aimed at quelling the protests. The international community should strongly condemn the actions of the Iranian authorities.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Shift focus

Sir — It would be futile for the Congress to lodge official complaints with the Election Commission about suspicions of foul play in the dramatic rise in polling percentage during the last hours of voting in the recent Gujarat elections (“Congress smells a rat in last-hour polling surge”, Dec 13). The party should focus on the Lok Sabha elections for 2024 by promoting Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra instead.

K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam

Help at hand

Sir — The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, deserves praise for taking steps to ensure the presence of senior doctors at SSKM’s trauma care centre during the night shift. This is not the first time that Banerjee has devoted time and effort to make healthcare more accessible to the masses.

Arun Gupta, Calcutta