Quick blood
Sir — Murders usually require long and careful planning. But in today’s fast-paced world, even murderers refuse to wait. According to the Delhi Police, button-lock knives purchased on Blinkit, the online grocery platform specialising in quick deliveries, were used in two separate murder cases in the capital. The police have charged two accused and raided Blinkit stores for selling prohibited items. While the incident raises concerns about regulatory oversight, one must reflect on the irony: while a murder weapon can arrive in minutes, the same cannot be said of emergency services such as ambulances.
Sourjo Kundu,
Delhi
Warm embrace
Sir — The visit of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to India marked an important change in Indo-French relations (“Stable ties”, Feb 18). It was oriented towards boosting bilateral trade and developing India’s roadmap for Horizon 2047. The meeting also underlined the common ground for a special global strategic partnership amid market volatility. In times of tariff tension and rising unemployment, both countries agreeing to focus on satellite development, helicopter manufacturing, and increased bilateral defence cooperation is in line with co-development.
Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly
Sir — The meeting between Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai elevated Indo-French ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership. Through deepened collaboration in defence, Artificial Intelligence, clean energy, and innovation, the two countries are forging pathways to shared prosperity. This alliance will accelerate India’s nation-building and drive global stability for generations to come.
T.S. Karthik,
Chennai
Sir — Narendra Modi skipping the swearing-in ceremony of Tarique Rahman, the prime minister of Bangladesh, to host the French president in Mumbai was unwise. Bangladesh is more important to India than France. Besides, the former chief adviser of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, referred to India’s northeastern states alongside Nepal and Bhutan without mentioning India in his farewell speech. This should make New Delhi wary of China’s imperialist ambitions.
Sush Kocher,
Jaipur
Regressive views
Sir — The Supreme Court bench’s remarks equating premarital physical intimacy with naivety reveal a troubling judicial tendency to conflate moral conservatism with legal reasoning (“Old hat”, Feb 19). The same court had constitutionally protected privacy as a fundamental right. Its latest suggestion that consenting adults should exercise circumspection because relationships may sour is thus both contradictory and paternalistic.
Marriage, romanticised as a transformative institution, is statistically also the site of dowry deaths, domestic violence, and marital rape. It is hardly a threshold beyond which trust becomes automatically legitimate. Sexual deception deserves penalisation through appropriately framed law. Resolving that question by invoking traditional conduct norms risks pushing jurisprudence backwards when society is moving forward.
K. Chidanand Kumar,
Bengaluru
Sir — The Supreme Court cautioning of young men and women about pre-marital physical relationships seems to be a paradox of constitutional legacy. Consenting adults in India, regardless of their marital status, possess the right to engage in physical relationships under Article 21, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. However, attempts by several states in the recent past to dilute such principles are worth noting.
Prasun Kumar Dutta,
West Midnapore
Digital colonialism
Sir — Some experts have predicted that Artificial General Intelligence — capable of human-level intelligence — could arrive as early as 2027 (“New colonialists”, Feb 18). This could trigger 99% unemployment by automating both digital and physical jobs. AI is already reshaping how millions work, and in some industries, it has begun replacing workers entirely. In five years, much physical labour could also be automated. This timeline could lead to a collapse of the job market by 2030. The question is what a vast number of the unemployed will do to meet their basic needs.
D.P. Bhattacharya,
Calcutta
Sir — AI is no longer just a tool; it’s becoming a form of power. A handful of private corporations now control data, algorithms and infrastructure that shape how people think, communicate, work and even govern. When intelligence itself is owned and regulated by a few entities, sovereignty shifts away from nations and citizens into the hands of corporations. This concentration of AI power risks creating a new kind of domination.
Cultures, languages and local realities are being reduced to data points. Societies must treat AI as critical infrastructure. Nations must ensure technology serves people, not the other way around.
Aditya Kamble,
Kalaburagi, Karnataka
