Stop the protests!
In a democratic framework, atrocities against any individuals, irrespective of which religion or castes they fall into, cannot be tolerated (“Violence erupts in India during Dalit protest, 7 killed”, Gulf News, April 3). It is quite unfortunate that the violence had led to the death of several people. The day-long agitation has heavily disrupted the educational system, banking and financial sectors, public events of common interests and various emergency services. The fact is that all financial losses are falling onto the shoulders of the public. Meanwhile, political parties and the public need to look for alternate ways to protest on the issues they face. Largely, disrupting the life of the common people is no way to gain any benefits, whereas it tarnishes the sentiments of genuine democratic principles.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
Will the voters end up suffering?
There is doubt that the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have taken the initiative to topple the Modi Government at the centre. Though initially they were against having an alliance with the Congress, they seem to have changed their mind to seek their support. Of course, the Congress too would be nothing without the support of other Opposition parties. Only time will tell whether all these party leaders, who have different agendas, will get together to form the Coalition Government in 2019. The ultimate sufferers are the voters, who continue to suffer. Let us wait and watch as to whether their efforts are going to be sweet or sour?
From Mr N. Mahadevan
India
Democracy trampled underfoot
What’s going on in India is a kind of genocide. It is the destruction of the ancient inhabitants of the country, the Dalit caste. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) inspired massacre of the voiceless Dalits has not so far attracted the attention of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). People were killed by the police in the streets and many more are seriously injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi owes an explanation to the nation for this mindless massacre. Democracy seems to be faltering and falling to pieces in India, despite being the largest democratic set up in the world.
From Mr Thomas Matthew
India
This is a deeper problem
Off late, the incidents reported about the death of children in the northern states of UP and Bihar of India are alarming (“Two-month-old baby who was denied stretcher dies in hospital”, Gulf News, March 28). The Gorakhpur incident wherein children died owing to lack of adequate oxygen supply, the ghastly treatment of a patient using an amputated limb as a pillow and the recent incident of denying a stretcher to a baby, all point to the gross acts of negligence - all showing the country in a poor light. The videos go viral and social media is the first to pop up the news. It is to be noted that there are several instances where social media has been proved wrong. We do not wait for investigations but jump into conclusions. The political bias of our countrymen and media make us believe everything we see. We have to wait for the investigations and use our commonsense before making any judgments. There was a video of a man carrying the corpse of his dead wife for a long distance and the investigations revealed a lot more. It was not that he was denied an ambulance but he chose to do so for some other reason. It is true that the public hospitals still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the standards but bizarre and strange incidents do not occur so frequently. Social media should be more responsible and I hope that the upcoming regulations on posting such videos will be helpful in distinguishing the truth from sensationalism.
From Mr Murugesh S.S. Sivam
Dubai
What is mankind coming to?
Why are human beings deprived of humanity is a colossal question. Mankind is getting thicker with selfishness, the outcome will be such intense incidents around us. Hospitals are the place for the suffering, and the kind of people who treat and take care of them. But, there are some so called humans with beast like minds who go past all goodness. Stretchers and ambulances are supposed to be provided to the needy, but the daily reports portray another side of the truth, which we don’t want to see.
From Ms Annie Rathi Samuel
USA
Should be ashamed
I think the recent stories of hospitals neglecting their patients in India is appalling. Whether it is denying someone a stretcher or using someone’s amputated leg as a pillow, how can people be so careless and mean? All these people aren’t fit to be doctors and nurses. Reading such stories in the news only make me wonder at the current state of the world. All these doctors need to be ashamed of themselves.
From Ms Alia Mathur
Dubai
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