Letters to Frontline-III

These letters are the development of my creative tie-ups with the current events as well as with the prestigious Frontline magazine….subtle opinions expressed through the letter reveals my take on the matter...

#. Encounter Killings (November6, 2009, Frontline)
FRONTLINE deserves praise for drawing attention to extrajudicial killings in India (Cover story, October9). The way Ishrat Jahan was killed makes a mockery of the legal and moral ethos of our democracy.

#. -Maoists (December 4, 2009, Frontline)
Both the Maoists and the government must strive to change their ongoing stand on violence by sharing a political platform instead of battlegrounds to sort out the chronic socio-economic maladies of the hinterlands. The government has to accept the reality of the discontent in these areas. Naxalism and any other movement that emerges from socio-economic inequality need to be seen with a fresh perspective because counter-insurgency or any other violent move by the state on their own citizens will only intensify the anguish and desperation of the people. The Maoist in India needs to take a fresh look at their basic ideology.

#. Dalits (January1, 2010, Frontline)
Many members of the Schedule castes and Schedule Tribes are still deprived of socio-economic benefits (“Victims always”, December4) and suffer at the hands of the authorities, feudal lords, neo-capitalists and even their empowered peers. Twenty years after the S.C and S.T (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, states have largely failed to implement it. The plight of the S.C and S.T must be seen within an integrated development framework and not in isolation.

Atul Kumar Thakur
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
New Delhi/December24th2009
atul_mdb@rediffmail.com