Not just a number
Sir — Over three months into the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, newspapers have stopped publishing death tolls daily. The same amnesia afflicts the Ukraine war, which has long moved to the periphery of public imagination. But what often dismays me is that even in the articles and reports that are published, death tolls are often rounded off — over 22,000 in Gaza or more than 10,000 in Ukraine, for instance. One understands that it is almost impossible to give an exact number. Yet, in an age where death is so frequently reduced to just a number, surely missing even one digit is a sin.
Archita Gupta, Noida
Against the law
Sir — The ghastly attack on the Enforcement Directorate team that was visiting the home of the Trinamul Congress leader, Shahjahan Sheikh, underlines the pathetic law and order situation in West Bengal (“ED mob fury has TMC in knots”, Jan 7). In response to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s demand for the chief minister’s resignation, a TMC spokesperson asked the prime minister to resign over his handling of the situation in Manipur. This is a childish attempt at defending the indefensible. Even if the TMC cadre think that the ED’s investigation is a witch-hunt, they cannot take the law into their own hands. Nothing short of an open condemnation of the attack and a public apology by the state government along with the prompt arrest of the absconding leader will suffice.
V. Jayaraman, Chennai
Sir — The unprecedented attack on ED officers in West Bengal, leaving at least three of them grievously injured, is a testimony to the total collapse of the law and order machinery in the state. Not even journalists covering the incident were spared by local goons who are allegedly connected to the TMC strongman, Shahjahan Sheikh. It is to the credit of the Central Reserve Police Force personnel that they exercised restraint and stopped the situation from getting worse. Both the Central and the state law and order machinery must work out a standard operating procedure to prevent such incidents in future.
S.K. Choudhury, Bengaluru
Sir — The brutal attack on ED officers in North 24 Parganas shows the TMC in a poor light ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. As a member of the INDIA bloc, TMC has been vocal about the blatant misuse of Central agencies by the Narendra Modi-led government. But by not condemning the attack on ED officials, the party will lose its moral high ground.
The third term of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government has been marred by several allegations of corruption, be it the school service commission recruitment scam or cattle smuggling. This will make it easier for the BJP to gain power in Bengal. The state government must take responsibility for the attack before it loses more ground among voters.
Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta
Sir — The head of the BJP’s information technology cell, Amit Malviya, has alleged that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were involved in the attack on the ED in West Bengal. He is clearly trying to prepare the ground for implementing a National Register of Citizens in West Bengal.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Sir — The situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas is a matter of grave concern. The current crisis is a result of the unbridled power that local goons have under the TMC dispensation. Urgent action must be taken to diffuse tensions, beginning with the arrest of Shahjahan Sheikh.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
Mind the gap
Sir — The Telegraph must be lauded for highlighting the dissociation of over 3,000 Christians from the meeting between the prime minister and prominent leaders of the community in “Christians dissociate from Xmas group at PM’s” (Jan 5). Most English newspapers across the country failed to report on this aspect. Leaders like Derek O’Brien, M.G. Devashayam, Flavius Agnes and so on deserve to be credited too for taking a stand and encouraging others to do so. It is unfortunate that the Christian leaders, especially Church dignitaries, who met the prime minister failed to condemn the killing of Christians in Manipur.
The prime minister is yet to visit Manipur or utter a word about the persecution of Christians there. The Church must raise its voice before it is wiped out from Manipur.
D.J. Azavedo, Bangalore
Sir — It is not usual for a newspaper to publish a protest as the quote of the day as The Telegraph did on January 5. As a regular reader, it tells me about the dire situation of the country. The media seems focussed on toeing the government’s majoritarian line by reporting endlessly on the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
Sir — There seems to be a wide chasm between the opinion of the Church and its members. Christians are not happy with the present dispensation. It is not in the interests of the Church to involve itself in politics.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
