Waiting for Justice

The story of the poor girl brings out quite explicitly the collusion of the police with criminals in India (“Rape and Murder in Betul”, April 23). The moot point is how someone like Rajesh becomes so big a goon that he challenges the entire law and order system by intimidating people. It was the duty of the police to have acted when the case was reported, irrespective of the social status of the accused. We cannot blame the residents of the area for not coming forward as witnesses at the risk of their personal safety. The Government should ensure the safety of witnesses if they were to come forward and testify. AKHIL KUMAR, Bareilly