A country, divided

I just want to write to say thank you for all the hard work you do, for maintaining your journalistic integrity, and sustaining our belief in journalism as a tool for the people. Thank you to all your team members who have probably gone without sleep or proper meals in the past few days, to those who risked their lives and well-being by heading out to the strife-torn areas in Delhi, and to those who do this every day, without fail. Thank you for your reportage, for ensuring we get the real news, for ensuring people are aware of what’s really happening. Thank you for helping to keep the fourth pillar of democracy afloat.

Please do take care of yourselves. I know it’s a really terrible, draining, horrifying time, and that the media carries a heavy burden of responsibility. But please, get some rest, get some food, remember to stay hydrated, take breaks – both physically and mentally. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and look out for each other. We need you to survive and for that, you need to look after yourselves. It was an honour working with you in the past. May the force be with all of us. – Satvika Kundu

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How illogical are you people and how quickly do you jump to conclusions? (The Daily Fix: Three days of violent attacks in Delhi could not take place without state sanction). Read Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Sharma’s incident and tell me in what sane mind would the police not be against anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protestors. Sharma was there in Chandbagh to talk to the protestors when he was gheraoed by the crowd. Here’s another video. Do you expect the police to be unemotional and behave like robots? The right to emotional expression rests with anti-CAA guys only, who are doing nothing but applying terror tactics by blocking roads and causing public difficulties.

Do they have a plan on how to carry out a large-scale protest and what to do when violence erupts? They are only giving way to their base animalistic nature to express. Big protests need big, careful planning. Why don’t they send representatives to talk to the government? You irresponsible people do not know what damage you do with your one-sided view of things. If you still have some sanity left, you should pull down such articles. – Sailendra Singh Deo

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A good introspective narration of the events going on in our society (Opinion: We can’t defeat the hatefulness of our times if we teach children intolerance and distrust). The problem is that there are many who feel the same, but in isolation. What is needed is a collective vent to such feelings on a common platform and perhaps, a better solution for change. Change must begin from the school level. Differences on the basis of caste, community, gender, religion, and social background continue to promote bitterness and hatred. It is rightly said that prejudice begins at home – children, by and large, imitate their parents. Political will also should play its role in shaping such attitudes. People are not to be seen simply as vote banks. So many divisive clauses and benefits are rolled out based on caste or community. Naturally, the scope for rift arises. To be optimistic for a better society, doing what best one can for that at the individual and collective levels remains the only hope for the present. – Ramana Gove

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What you write may be true, but an eyewitness has a different story (This young Muslim woman took us around a riot-hit Delhi locality. The view was revealing). He had gone to Shahdara to meet his friend and was caught there as the riots broke out. They could not sleep for two nights as Muslim mobs with guns and swords created havoc there. Meanwhile, the Hindus only had sticks to protect themselves. We have seen what was happening at Tahir Hussain’s house – perhaps you are blind not to see that. Death is always cruel and unfortunate for all communities. But it shameful when people like you, those with vested interests, differentiate between Hindus and Muslims. I know nobody is impartial – even Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was not. He preferred Nehru to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and never followed the majority decision. Because of his vested interest, millions of people lost their lives.

As a reporter, you tried to establish that you are brave and a fact-loving person, but you have failed in your attempt. You proved that you are paid for spreading lies and burying the truth. Brutality has to be condemned irrespective of religion. It is a black spot for humanity. You might have heard about Ankit Sharma, who was stabbed 400 times. It is people like you who add fuel to the fire and incite violence. People say everybody is driven by agenda. What is your agenda? – Dhruv Kumar Sharma

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How many hate speeches were made before and after the Delhi elections by all parties? (Delhi violence: Would have arrested BJP leaders for hate speeches, says former police commissioner). Why only blame the Bharatiya Janata Party? He should arrest all of them. What is the Citizenship Amendment Act? Is it mentioned anywhere in the Act that existing people of India, particularly Muslims, will lose citizenship? Go through the Parliament’s website and the contents of the 1951 Act, and you will get plenty of details. Some are just bluffing that Muslims will lose citizenship, and the media is merely publishing the story and creating trouble. As a responsible media house, why don’t you download Citizenship Amendment Act 1951 and its amendments, and circulate it to clear all doubts? This police officer should first know what the Act is about and then arrest those who are spreading rumours. Instead of doing that, he is targeting one party, which shows his bias. – Muralikanth

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Miscellaneous comments

As an admirer of VP Menon, I endorse Narayani Basu’s description of him as the unsung architect of modern India (VP Menon’s biography: Was the man who charmed the princes really the architect of modern India?). If Menon had not produced his plan in Shimla, the British would have had to hand over power to the provinces with a very weak central authority and if Menon and Mountbatten had not persuaded all but three princely states to accede to India, some of the states would have become independent. Modern India, with a strong central government, is very much Menon’s creation and he deserves to be described as its architect. – Rohan P Fernando

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It is good to know that there are still some who care about people who are facing problems with Aadhaar card (How Aadhaar is making it harder for Indian women to access their maternity benefits). I am a college student and I live in a remote area – Pati in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh. Here, villagers are exploited on the name of this card. People are made to pay unjustified amount for Aadhaar enrolment, updation, and corrections. In my area, there is only one Aadhaar centre in the entire sub-district, which has 47 village panchayats under it. Thank you for raising this issue. – Sunil Dawar

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India is turning into a place of dread and despair. People in the country associate sexual violence with “loss of honour” rather than as the violation of consent. And why not? After all, for those who think like that, reputation is considered to be their biggest asset, much more valuable than the dignity of any individual. The United States recently includes India in the “developed countries” category. Meanwhile, according to government data released in January, there is a rape every 15 minutes in our country. The irony of these two reports co-existing! A nine-year old girl was allegedly raped by three people in Karimnagar district in Telangana. The victim’s age, gender, religion, clothing or anything else cannot provoke or justify this horrendous act. The mounting rate of rape cases is a matter of great concern in India and it raises questions on women’s safety and why those found guilty aren’t punished. Moreover, why aren’t there enough and faster methods used in courts? It is high time for speedy provisions and actions to be enacted. – Maryam Aftab

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