Gruesome attack

Sir - The murder of an Indian engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, in the United States of America appears to be a case of hate crime ("Indian killed in Kansas bar", Feb 25). An American navy veteran, Adam Purinton, fatally shot Kuchibhotla at a bar in Kansas City. Another Indian engineer, Alok Reddy Madasani, was injured in the incident. The attacker allegedly shouted "get out of my country" before opening fire.

This episode comes barely a month after Donald Trump became the new president of the US. Many are suggesting that Trump's controversial statements on foreigners could have instigated Purinton to carry out the attack. The Indian government should take the matter up with the American authorities. Indians living in the US need to be assured that the Trump administration will try to prevent such attacks.

Yours faithfully,
Wazir Hossain,
Calcutta

Sir - Adam Purinton, a veteran of the US navy, had hurled racial slurs against two Indian engineers before attacking them. Therefore, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is right in probing the Kansas shooting as a hate crime. This is perhaps the first such assault on members of the Indian community after Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the US. Consequently, the Indian community in America has been left shaken.

Trump finally condemned the attack during his first Congressional address. His silence could have been misconstrued as tacit support for the crime. All the prominent media houses in the US, too, denounced the attack.

It was also heartening to learn that a young white American, Ian Grillot, had risked his life and confronted the assailant. Grillot, who is now recuperating in a hospital, got shot in the hand and chest while he was trying to stop the gunman. His courageous act reminds me of Faraaz Hossain's sacrifice during last year's terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Bangladesh.

Yours faithfully,
Buddhadev Nandi,
Bankura

Sir - The murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla should be condemned by one and all. This incident shows how far the gun culture has spread in the US. Washington needs to take urgent steps to reduce the violence. However, not much can be expected from the new dispensation. Donald Trump has already rolled back certain key gun control measures.

The rising graph of hate crimes in recent years in Western countries such as the US, Australia and Britain is a cause for concern.

Yours faithfully,
Sravana Ramachandran,
Chennai

Time to smile

Sir - The chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, has reasons to smile. An ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state and at the Centre, Shiv Sena, had thought that it could do well in the municipal elections on its own. But the results have proven that the Sena's expectations were unfounded. Even before the votes were counted, some leaders in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party claimed that they would get a majority in Mumbai. The early trends also suggested that the Shiv Sena was heading towards a big win. However, according to the final tally, the Shiv Sena has won 84 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation against the BJP's 82. Elsewhere also the BJP has performed well. It has won eight out of the 10 municipalities that went to polls recently - Pune, Nashik, Ulhasnagar, Akola, Solapur, Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Amravati. The Shiv Sena could only retain Thane, besides registering a slender lead in Mumbai.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena are considered natural allies by many. But the latter had not been able to reconcile to the fact that it is no longer the dominating party in the alliance. The BJP has now decided to support any candidate elected by the Shiv Sena for the post of the mayor. On the other hand, the performance of the Congress has been worse than it was in 2012. After the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the grand old party has no credible leader left in the western state. Infighting has cost the party dearly.

The Nationalist Congress Party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have also fared poorly in these elections. The voters have reposed their faith in the development agenda of the BJP.

Yours faithfully,
K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Hassan, Karnataka

Space crunch

Sir - The aisle space in many retail outlets has been reduced considerably. This is generally done to accommodate more racks. However, this inconveniences the customers. It gets difficult to manoeuvre trolleys. Even two average-sized shoppers cannot pass each other from opposite directions.

Yours faithfully,
T.S. Karthik,
Chennai

Parting shot

Sir - Incidents of vandalism in private hospitals have increased over the years. Many a time, members of patients' families resort to violence as they feel aggrieved owing to medical negligence on the part of doctors and other support staff or because of inflated bills. Patients are compelled to undergo numerous tests that may not be necessary. It is time the Centre and the state governments designed a mechanism to ensure that patients are not fleeced.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta,
Calcutta