Doing a sterling job
Salt Brook in Dibrugarh, through the
teachers’ dedication, hard work, and total commitment, has rightly earned the
accolade of being probably one of the finest, if not the finest, schools in the
Northeast. Over the years, their incredible dominance in the toppers’ lists in
all streams, especially science, has been the icing on the cake.
But in the society of today, where frustrated green-eyed rivals, instead of working honestly to move up, have resorted to rumour-mongering tactics to denigrate the school by carrying out malicious propaganda, they have blatantly suggested that Salt Brook School has resorted to obtaining leaked papers for the benefit of their students.
Some believe and have expressed that Salt Brook has always paid money to obtain ranks. In the year 2016, some students wrote on our neighbour’s wall a few questions from the leaked biology paper. The institution was not allotted a Centre for Examination. A biassed section of the media went to town condemning the school. But on enquiring, the charges were found to be both baseless and mala fide.
Retractions were barely audible, and they retreated to the shadows. One would have thought lessons had been learned. But when some students of class 11 were found sharing leaked papers from class X (the matriculation exams of this year), it was back to square one. It is unfortunate that among those caught were six boys from Salt Brook. The same sections again went about spreading calumny and blaming the school for obtaining the leaked papers.
However, in a swift investigation by state authorities, it has been proved that the leak took place from Dhemaji, and the culprits, including a headmaster of a school and others, were booked. At least the retractions this time were never publicised. As the parent of an ex-student of this premiere institution, I am happy, and my advice to Saltbrook is to press on regardless. You are doing a sterling job!
Mitali Saikia
Stricter safety on public buses
I am writing to express my concern about the safety of passengers on public buses in Guwahati. I recently had a harrowing experience while traveling on a bus from Uzan Bazar to Beltola. The driver suddenly applied the brakes, causing a woman standing next to me to hold onto my neck for safety, which resulted in my choking.
This shows that the city’s public transportation needs to have stricter safety measures put in place. Bus drivers and the people in charge should put the safety of their passengers first. Drivers need to be trained on safe driving practices and adhere to traffic rules and regulations to prevent accidents.
Also, bus drivers need to be held more accountable and watched more closely to make sure they are following safety rules. Passengers must also be educated on safety measures such as holding onto grab handles and not standing near the door.
I urge the authorities to take immediate action to address the safety concerns of passengers on public transport in Guwahati. Let us work together to ensure that public transportation is a safe and reliable mode of transportation for all.
Rashmi Saikia,
Cotton University.
Naxal control
In the never-ending battle between the police and the Maoists, the former has almost decimated the latter. A fierce battle that culminated in the killing of more than five deadly maoists in Jharkhand’s Chatra near its border with Palamu on Monday is another example. One of the naxals killed had a Rs 25 lakh reward on his head, and the other two had Rs 5 lakh each.The intensity of the combat can be judged by the huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered by the police from the encounter spot. Maoists are adept at taking the police force by surprise with their sudden ambushes. This time, however, the jawans were too strong for the Naxals. The heavy exchange of fire did not deter the jawans, who fought with grit. A few jawans were injured; hopefully they will recover.
A couple of top Maoist leaders, including Gautam Paswan, were eliminated. Naxals operate in dense forests, and knowledge of the forest and hilly terrain separates the highly trained security force from others. Familiarity with the surroundings and rapport with the locals have acted as weapons for the police in their war against the Maoists. Intelligence gathering has been a Maoist forte, but the police gradually have succeeded in beating the opponents at their own game. Counselling of the local tribes against giving in to the Maoists-demands figures right on top of the police agenda. Over the years, many Naxals have given up their violent ways in several states; the credit for the development should go to the concerted effort of the security forces. A combination of humanitarian touch and taking the fight into the Maoists camp has paid rich dividends to the security personnel.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat,
gbhat13@gmail.com.
Is scope of
politics narrowing?
The petition of 14 opposition parties to the Supreme Court against alleged misuse of central agencies was dismissed by a bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI). This is significant for two reasons. First, while allegations of political use of central agencies are not new in our country, it is unusual that 14 political parties have petitioned the Supreme Court on the same issue. Secondly, something unusual appears to be happening in political circles.
However, the court drew the petitioners’ attention to the petition’s contradictions, saying, “You are alleging misuse of central agencies.” At the same time, it states that it does not want the leaders to be treated differently because they are ordinary citizens. Then tell me how the court can order the central agencies to follow a specific procedure before arresting politicians. The Supreme Court is right when it says that the law is the same for everyone. In such a case, any such demand, in which special treatment is said to be given to special people under any pretext, cannot stand the test of law.
According to the petition, roughly 60 per cent of the cases of politicians investigated by the CBI between 2004 and 2014 were from the opposition. Since 2014, this percentage has risen to 95 per cent for the entire period. Similarly, in the case of ED, this figure has increased from 54 per cent to 95 per cent over the same time. There also appears to be an allegation that convictions in such cases are extremely rare. As a result, there are frequently allegations of political misuse. These accusations have been levelled at both the current and previous governments.
However, this is only one aspect of the issue, and the current administration may have its own explanation. Even if the opposition parties’ complaints are accepted as valid, their petition paints a bleak picture of opposition politics in the country. After all, the country is a democracy, and all these big parties are going to court rather than going to the public with their grievances against the government elected by the common people, so the question naturally arises as to whether they have lost faith in the understanding of the voters or the people. If political parties begin to fight their battles in court, it indicates that the scope of politics is narrowing. In any case, this would be considered bad news for democracy’s health.
Abhijit Roy,
abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com.