letterstoeditor
A MAN IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Standing tall at six feet, armed with a thick moustache and piercing eyes, Kanwar Pal Singh Gill was a classic fearless police officer. Being an English literature graduate, he was a lover of Urdu and English poetry. He had an action-packed career involving tackling counter-insurgency from Assam to Punjab. Left leader AB Bardhan once said that what Gill did in Assam was more significant than what he did in Punjab. Different people may have different perceptions about him but there is no iota of doubt that he upheld India’s unity and integrity. He played by his own rules, defying old doctrines and writing them afresh.
II
Harmanjeet Singh Sidhu, Taruana, Sirsa KPS Gill was one of the finest IPS officers that India has produced. Strong, decisive and result-oriented, he would not take a ‘no’ for an answer. His juniors swore by him because he meant business and stood by them. That is a hallmark of a good leader. No wonder, Operation Black Thunder was a resounding success and he saved Punjab from Khalistani militants. Had he been given a chance, perhaps Operation Bluestar would have been averted. Similarly, had he been made the DGP of Jammu and Kshmir, separatists would have been behind the bars, and militants flushed out. Colonel RD Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt
DUBIOUS DISTINCTION
It’s a matter of concern and shame that 182 schools in the state have recorded zero pass percentage in Class 10 results of the Punjab School Education Board. There may be paucity of staff and lack of infrastructure, but we cannot reconcile ourselves to such dismal state of affairs. This is a total failure of the system and if we do not wake up still, the things are going to worsen in coming years. Rather than forming a committee to look into the matter, the government must act immediately to provide proper facilities and sufficient staff to schools to improve their performance. Mahesh Chander
FALSE ENDORSEMENT OF MODI GOVT
Swapan Dasgupta’s article, ‘Three years on, a work in progress’, (HT, May 26) is a false endorsement of the so-called achievements of the Modi government. By doing so, he has lowered his status as a journalist but he is justifying the Rajya Sabha seat given to him by the BJP. The Modi government has failed on all fronts — be it employment generation, corruption, black money or terrorism. It has only fuelled intolerance, increased lawlessness by sheltering so-called gau rakshaks, stoked communal tension and interfered in universities. Then there is demonetisation, of course. Modi only sells dreams to people. Dr Vitull K Gupta, Bathinda
STONEPELTING A SERIOUS CRIME
Pelting armymen with stones cannot be condoned as an act of protest. It is a crime that can take away human life. Though armed with sophisticated weapons, our jawans display a remarkable calm in such a volatile environment. Use of a Kashmiri man as a human shield saved not only lives of Indian soldiers but also of those involved in stone-pelting. The incident has given enough fodder to naysayers who spare no chance to denigrate India. Thinking of human rights may come easy to champagne-sipping activists sitting in safe, AC spaces but not to a jawan who has a tryst with death every day. Dr Abhinav Sharma, Ludhiana
YEDDYURAPPA DINNERS A POLITICAL GIMMICK
In reference to ‘Dalits don’t need dinner diplomacy’, dining with Dalit families at their homes to show solidarity is clearly a political gimmick by Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa. What was more unfortunate was the keenness with which the opposition parties swung into action to prove that the food was procured from outside. Amid this mudslinging and political brinkmanship, hardly any leader comes forward to talk about the real issues involving the Dalit community — be it education, jobs or healthcare. Upant Sharma, Panchkula