Delhi riots
THE orchestrated violence against the minorities in Delhi is a serious threat to the very foundations of democracy (Cover Story, March 27). Sadly, the RSS and its cohorts have succeeded in carrying out their nefarious designs and gagging rightful protests. One has to accept, grudgingly, that the RSS brigade has scored a pyrrhic victory. While its cynical triumph is palpable, the response of the secular parties has been muted. It is a blot on the Fourth Estate that most of the mainstream media have not exposed the treachery of the Sangh Parivar and have acted hand in glove with the BJP.
The naked communalism exhibited by India’s rulers, in tandem with goons and the security apparatus in Delhi, makes a mockery of the basic tenets of the nation.
S. MURALI VELLORE, TAMIL NADU
IT was sad and shocking that the capital, known for its rich cosmopolitan culture, was rocked by communal riots for three successive days. The riots were a calculated attempt by vested interests to tear apart the fabric of society. That the violence coincided with the visit of the U.S. President Donald Trump to New Delhi appeared to be part of a nefarious design by anti-social/national elements to show the nation in poor light.
Communal riots affect the common man irrespective of his religion. The failure of the law enforcement agencies to crack down on the rioters in the initial phase of the riots made matters worse. The reports of people protecting their neighbours of a different faith in several pockets of the riot-torn city were the only silver lining.
Although the crisis has been defused, all stakeholders need to strive to erase the scars of the riots. It is also time for citizens to redeem the pledge that they are Indians first and last.
B. SURESH KUMAR COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU
THE high death toll in the riots is a clear sign that they were pre-planned. U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders’ comments slamming Trump for remaining silent on the riots, which happened during his visit to India, were shocking. Similarly, it was totally unnecessary for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to term the violence in Delhi as alarming when it keeps silent about the systematic blatant human rights violations in Pakistan against the minority communities.
As the situation was limping back to normalcy, Congress leaders finding fault with BJP functionaries when its own leaders were coming out with various statements to keep the pot boiling is a clear indication that that there was larger conspiracy behind the whole episode.
K.R. SRINIVASAN SECUNDERABAD, TELANGANA
INDIA slipped 10 places in Democracy Index 2019 of the Economist Intelligence Unit, and the press freedom index is around 133 out of 180 (“The media circus”, March 27). Unlike in the West where misinformation campaigns backed by foreign elements have been launched against countries, in India, it is our very own political parties that are churning out an enormous amount of misinformation. We are routinely fed fake news, rants and divisive propaganda by television and social media platforms. Deepfake, a recent technology innovation, is making inroads into India’s media landscape. Its insidious impact is to create a society where people no longer care to distinguish truth from fabrication. Digital deception is the painless way to do it.
Unfortunately, the media as a whole is at the receiving end of a sustained campaign against them. Disparaging comments like “presstitute”, urban naxals and fake news are made against them. A free press and media are the guard rails of democracy, without which the country will slide into authoritarianism. In the current climate, the media have now to manage how news stories are handled, which topics/events can be covered and which ones have to be dropped.
H.N. RAMAKRISHNA BENGALURU