Letters to the editor (21 April 2023)

Stop hurting religious sentiments 

It is learnt that a First Information Report (FIR) has reportedly been registered against two Instagram users, who are reportedly school students, for hurting religious sentiments and circulating obscene material through their social media posts. 

The students’ insensitive remarks soon went viral and were widely condemned by other social media users who called on the police to take action against them in order to avoid the possibility of communal tension.

 Incidentally on the same day another post that went viral on social media was of a washroom signboard at the Manohar International Airport that featured a picture of Basilica of Bom Jesus. Citizens and netizens complained that it hurt their religious sentiments. The signboard was earlier displayed near the ladies and gent washrooms at the airport was later removed. Goa is known the world over for the social harmony and brotherhood that exists in the state. Communal harmony is the hallmark of the state of Goa. For the people of Goa, religion is a private affair. Within Goa itself, we see how Goans have respected each other’s religious practices, symbols, festivities, etc. 

Goans have even carried along with them, the spirit of peace, tolerance and harmony, wherever they migrated. Any move to hurt the religious sentiments of any community should be viewed very seriously. Communal harmony has to be preserved at all costs. The police need to investigate both the incidents and take necessary action as per law.     

Adelmo Fernandes, 

Vasco

File FIRs against all fake account holders 

The Crime Branch (CB) has acted swiftly and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against two Instagram users (reportedly school going students) for hurting the religious sentiments and circulating obscene materials through their social media posts. 

There are so many fake account holders who abuse minorities on social media today by casually insulting their Gods and Saints and branding them as Portuguese 'dukors' or pigs, left-overs, 'lembdes', rice bags etc thereby openly hurting their religious sentiments through such horrible posts in Goa. 

Why are the cops still refusing to take any action against all such communal minded individuals for frequently posting derogatory remarks against minorities and their Gods through their social media posts and for trying to trigger communal tension in the state?

The cops instead of selectively going after some misguided school going kids should henceforth stop wearing kid gloves and seriously start taking a strong action against all such fake account holders of social media for being actively involved in spreading their own communal rot against minorities.

Jerry Fernandes, Saligao

SC pulls up Centre Guj over remission

By pulling up the Centre and the Gujarat government over remission to eleven life convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, the SC has rightly recognized and with all seriousness the heinous crime committed against her. The arch criminals, who felt no qualms in gang-raping a pregnant woman, brutally killed her 3-year-old daughter and seven other family members during the ghastly 2002 Gujarat riots. But, shockingly they were released by the BJP-led Gujarat government, invoking remission clause under a relatively liberal policy when a stricter policy of 2014 was very much in existence, and which could have ensured the convicts stay in prison.  Bafflingly, the eleven life convicts walked free on the day of India’s 75th independence just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rhetoric from the ramparts of the Red Fort on upholding women’s rights, dignity and celebrating women power – a total antithesis to the release of the criminals!

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai

Ensure safety of Indians in Sudan

Sudan is a classic example of an overzealous military shattering the hopes and aspirations of its citizens.  It's also a classic illustration of how an autocratic ruler can destroy a nation despite being ousted from power because today's violence there is the offshoot of two powerful divisions in the military, courtesy Omar al-Bashir's short sightedness.  Despite possessing abundant natural resources, the country is neither here nor there with a crippled economy ruling the roost. Thousands of people are fleeing the country as civilians continue to be killed in the intense conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Group(RSG). All talks of ceasefire have yielded nothing and countries are worried about their citizens residing in capital Khartoum and surrounding areas. 

Japan and Tanzania, among others, have started to move their citizens. New Delhi cannot lag behind. Apart from ensuring the safety of its nationals in Sudan, India should make every effort to evacuate its citizens who find themselves stranded there. Some members of a tribal group from Karnataka, that is in demand for its indigenous medicines, and which frequently travels to Sudan, is reportedly holed up in a hotel in Khartoum.  They are said to be terrified by shortage of food, water and electricity. The Centre has reportedly engaged the “quartet” of US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to make sure no Indian suffers from the fight for supremacy in Sudan. Politics can take a backseat; diplomatic maturity and common cause should be important.

Ganapathi Bhat, Akola

Vital to support UGC decision

In a recent statement, UGC urged all university rectors to allow students to write exams in their native language, even though the courses are taught in English. 

It discusses the promotion of NEP 2020 and the regular use of mother tongue in educational institutions. According to the notice, the NEP emphasizes the importance of teaching the students' native language. It emphasized the importance of optimizing communication in all languages for better cognitive performance and the development of learners' holistic personalities. The announcement also promotes the teaching and learning of the native language at higher education institutions across the country. Pupils from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds in particular will benefit from this. It is therefore vital to support and encourage such initiatives.

Vijaykumar H K, Raichur

India is now most populous country

India overtakes China as the most populous country and now at the top. Younger age profile gives India an added advantage. Our country is really blessed with an efficient workforce and the major advantage is that the age group 35+ is the majority of our population. The Indian population is a blessing in disguise and our government is not considering it as a burden but a boon. 

India's 1.4 billion people must be seen as 1.4 billion opportunities. China has a population of 142.57 cr but these numbers are shrinking and at an alarming rate.

China may thumb its chest when reality is open. By mid-century there will be more than 1.6 billion Indians as against 1.3 billion Chinese. However, China downplayed India overtaking by saying that they have better workforce to bank on. This is again creditable as India has managed a healthy demographic transition by using family planning despite poverty and illiteracy. The fertility rates in India are down from 5.7% births per woman in 1950 to 2.2 births today and that is significant. 

C K Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai