ahasan Jahir Molla,

Maheshtala

nA book thief is after wisdom. If wisdom be the goal of life, then is it fair to punish such a thief? Especially given how interested the government is in educating citizens. Can the authorities promote literacy on one hand and punish book thieves in the same manner as Dhananjay Chatterjee? If book theft is a crime, then Lord Krishna should be punished for stealing butter.

Sudipa dutta Chowdhury,

Dum Dum Park

nBook thieves are in no way like common thieves. It is their love for books which forces them to steal. Last year, I witnessed two such thieves being caught at the Book Fair. They were school students and were asked to write down why they were stealing books. After writing a few words, they were in tears. I think it was an effective punishment for them. They were embarrassed and realised their mistake.

Bindu Dungarwal,

Ganges Garden

nBy stealing books at the Book Fair, a person denies others the opportunity to go through the books. If the thief happens to steal books to sell them off, then he or she should be punished according to the law. But those who steal books because they are unable to afford them, should be let off with a warning, if it is found that they really need the books.

ajay singh,

Howrah

nBook thieves, whether they are professional thieves or amateurs in need of books, must be punished. But the degree of punishment should depend on the motive of the person.

Pradip Banerjee,

BT Road

nBook thieves at the Book Fair should not be punished like common thieves. They do not need to be sent behind bars, as most of them are from respectable backgrounds. But they should be slapped with cash fines.

ATif ayaz,

Serampore

nTheft is theft, whether it is of books or of more costly things. And theft at a place like the Book Fair is really shameful. Those who are caught red-handed should be given exemplary punishment so that no one ever tries to steal books again.

MEhjibin Yunus,

Bright Street

nIn most cases, book thieves are not treated like common thieves, whether at the Book Fair or outside. But by letting them get away lightly, we encourage them to continue stealing books, which is extremely wrong. So, book thieves should be punished, at least to curb book theft

P. Pramanik,

Santoshpur Avenue

nThieves are thieves, whether they steal books or valuables. Theft of a book is a loss to someone. So if the thief is caught, there is no reason to treat him or her differently. Punishment might dissuade the thief from continuing to steal.

Bhupendra Nath Bose,

Dum Dum Park

nDefinitely. Someone might steal a book at the Book Fair out of need. But in doing so, he or she denies someone else, who is, perhaps, in greater need of the book, a chance to own it. Hence, stealing at the Book Fair is a serious offence. Book thieves should be punished more severely than common thieves.

Prasit Sen,

Hatiara

nNo, book thieves at the Book Fair should not be punished like common thieves. Those who steal books are often educated and extremely moral. They steal out of love for books. They should be given a chance to rectify themselves.

Sujoy Roy,

Sodepur

nAccording to the Indian Penal Code, there is no difference between book thieves and common thieves, so the former should not be exempted from punishment. They may not have the money to buy books, but that does not permit them to steal. If book thieves are allowed to go without punishment, the publishing industry will be destroyed.

MD. Ayub,

Bright Street

nThieves should be punished whether they steal utensils from a house or books from the Book Fair. Most of those who steal at the Book Fair are students. They do so for extra income and not for the love of books. The heads of their academic institutions should be informed of their activities, at the very least.

SeRaj alam,

Bansberia, Hooghly

nThose who steal books at the Book Fair are not thieves in the general sense of the term, but avid readers whose pockets do not permit the purchase of books. They must not be treated as common thieves. Book thieves should instead be encouraged to buy and read books.

Prahlad agarwal,

Majdia, Nadia

nYes. Since there are others who buy books by paying good money like they buy other commodities in the market, there is no reason why book thieves at the Book Fair should not be punished like common thieves. Besides, punishment would keep the so-called ?hobby-thieves? at bay.

Suvadip Goswami,

Maheshtala

nThe Book Fair is a festival for book lovers. Some of them are not financially well off and have turned thieves to be able to read books. Common thieves, on the other hand, are not interested in books at all.

Ajit Kumar Das,

Naskar Para Road

nThere are fundamental differences between book thieves and thieves of other items. The prices of books are so high that poor bibliophiles are sometimes left with no option but to steal books in order to read them. I do not think that such book lovers should be clubbed with petty thieves.

prem Pada mallick,

Kalindi

nStealing books is as grave an offence as stealing any thing else. Moreover, stealing books at a place like the Book Fair tarnishes the image of the city and the nation. Hence, book thieves at the Book Fair should be penalised severely so that they refrain from stealing in future.

Sandhya Banerjee,

Salt Lake

nYes, book thieves at the Book Fair should be punished like common thieves. Many books are sold at the fair that are not easily available. Book lovers wait the entire year to buy such books from the fair. It is really unfair to let people, who deny them the pleasure, go unpunished.

daFfy,

Raja Rammohan Roy Road

nBook thieves at the Book Fair deserve harsher punishment than common thieves. Books are the products of creativity and creativity is not a wholesale commodity.

pankaj Bhatia,

Loudon Street

nThe stolen books should be seized and thieves should be allowed to leave the Book Fair.

Surajit Gupta,

Fakir Chand Mitra Street

nPrevention is better than cure. Keeping this in mind, the organisers of the Book Fair should make arrangements so that no one is able to steal books. If anyone still tries to steal and gets caught, then he or she should be forced to purchase the books. In case the person does not have enough money, he or she should be handed over to police.

Debyani Basu,

Birati

nThe reason behind the theft of a book is more often than not the thirst for knowledge. It is this desire, coupled with lack of money, that makes otherwise respectable people risk humiliation and punishment to steal a book. But there are also people who steal books for money. Such people should be punished strictly.

a.K. mitra,

Puddapukur Road

nWhy not? A group of people take advantage of the common perception that those who cannot afford books, steal them. According to me, there is no place for thieves at the Book Fair. Otherwise the publishers will be forced to shut shop.

MD Tanweer,

GVR Lane

nA book thief should be treated like an indisciplined student. They need moral punishment.

Debashis Saha,

Anath Deb Lane

nWhether it is money or books, theft reflects poor character. So, thieves of any kind must be punished in accordance with the law. Book thieves should be punished especially because there are many visitors who come only to steal books. This is an unhealthy trend.