Show business

• Sir - Anushka Sharma reprimanded a fellow actor for littering. Her husband, Virat Kohli, the captain of the Indian cricket team, decided to upload a video of the incident on social media in order to spread the word about cleanliness. But this has now caused an outrage. Arhhan Singh, who got caught in the act, has sent 'Virushka' a legal notice for shaming him. The famous couple has also been trolled. The two were right in trying to raise awareness against littering. But was there a need to make the video public? The incident now looks like a publicity gimmick.

Malavika Basu,

Calcutta

Heartless decisions

• Sir - The Donald Trump administration had taken the outrageous decision of separating thousands of children from their parents at the border ("1995 kids 'separated from families'", June 17). These families had entered the United States of America illegally. The order has since been revoked owing to heightened international pressure. But it has left behind an unfavourable impression of the president.

Ever since he came to power, Trump has taken up the issue of illegal immigration seriously and has explored such options as the construction of a wall at the Mexico border. For centuries, people from different parts of the world have been making the US their home. The strides made by the US can also be attributed to contributions from immigrants, who, in turn, were granted rights and opportunities on a par with American citizens.

But the socio-political environment has undergone a drastic change since 9/11. Migrants, particularly those from Islamic countries, are looked upon with suspicion. Trump's 'America first' policy was designed in accordance with this ambience. Trump has refused to turn the US into a 'migrant camp'. But humane considerations should not be swept aside when people from other countries seek asylum in the US.

Srikanta Bhattacharjee,

Calcutta

• Sir - Melania Trump's decision to wear a jacket that read, "I really don't care, do u?" on her way to visit immigrant children who had been separated from their parents by officials has raked up a controversy, and rightly so.

Sartorial choices are entirely a personal matter. But this case is different. As the people's representative and someone under constant public scrutiny, Melania Trump should have realized that the message inscribed on the jacket would have serious implications. Her decision cannot be written off as ill-timed. It could be interpreted as an expression of apathy towards the plight of the immigrants.

Kaveri Raj,

Ernakulam, Kerala

Blind spot

• Sir - The managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Bank, Chanda Kochhar, has finally decided to go on leave till the independent probe by the former Supreme Court judge, B.N. Srikrishna, into the alleged conflict of interest between Videocon Industries and NuPower Renewables - Kochhar's husband's company - is complete.

Kochhar should have chosen to stay away out of her own volition from the start. It appears that the board of directors of the ICICI Bank continues to be beholden to Kochhar: the bank's press release stated that the 'decision' to go on leave was Kochchar's and not the board's. The latter has not covered itself in glory either. It had given her a 'clean chit' without carrying out an internal investigation. Such omissions raise questions about the bank's culture of corporate governance. Given the nature of the allegations, it is hoped that the agencies concerned would examine every aspect of the deal and take pre-emptive measures.

S.K. Choudhury,

Bangalore

Daily struggle

• Sir - Thousands of people commute from Garia to Sector 5 and adjoining areas in Salt Lake every day. Yet, there is only one state bus, AC37A, that operates on this route. There are a couple of direct buses from Garia station but only one service - it is costly and infrequent - from Garia bus terminus. In the mornings, the queue to board the bus is very long. Even the shuttles that ply on this route are packed to capacity. The government should provide more buses that would run till late night.

Saibal Bishnu,

Calcutta

Parting shot

• Sir - It is shocking that a boy in Bihar was gunned down by a security guard when he was found plucking mangoes in an orchard. This is inhuman. Criminals are robbing people of their possessions, but no action is taken against them. Nothing is done about the safety of women. Yet a little boy is shot just because he was plucking fruit.

Kreeti Bansal,

Patiala, Punjab