Security lapse

• There is an inherent ambiguity in the PM’s statement that “there was no security...

• There is an inherent ambiguity in the PM’s statement that “there was no security lapse at Ayodhya” (IE, July 8) and there were intelligence reports which had warned that terrorists would strike at religious places.” Considering that terrorists got within 100 m of the makeshift Ram Temple and even fired a RPG aimed at the temple — which thankfully missed its target — any rational individual would opine that this did pose a pretty serious threat to the physical structure of the temple and constituted a security lapse. Also, the fact that the

vehicle used by the terrorists was in an area where vehicles are not allowed, points towards a malfunction in the security set-up.

— Pranav Potbhare Bangalore

What India needs

• I agree with Sudheendra Kulkarni’s views and explanation (‘Three ungodly acts’, IE, July 8). What I understood by his piece is that India needs to progress as fast as it can without interruptions from large scale violence, either internal or external. Given this, it is better to keep our neighbours happy and achieve progress.

— Abhinendra Shivanagi Toronto

• The author takes great pains to deny the link between Islam and terrorism. Have people of other religions carried out such attacks as we have seen in Ayodhya and London over the last few days? Exactly what are we trying to achieve by this denial of Islamic fundamentalism as the force behind worldwide terrorism?

— Feanor Bothell On e-mail

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• The writer, an old Marxist, has proved to be a loyal comrade — even the real comrades could not achieve what this convert has been able to do.

— Shrinivas Deo Nasik

Double-speak

• Uzma Naheed has blamed the press (‘Flexible law, inflexible justice’,IE, July 7) and attacked Hindu society for the supposed ill of sati and the problem of child marriage. Yet the fatwa givers of Darul Uloom Deoband are let off with the remark that the fatwa is not a decree.

— A.K. Aggarwal Ahmedabad

Doesn’t square up

• Amrita Shah started off well by asking the right question (‘So is media outrage out?’, IE, July 6). But how can lack of inspiration in the social enviroment be used as justification for the lack of new good ideas and sustenance of old good ones.

— Dipesh Gorashia On e-mail

Banned bandhs

• The VHP has again resorted to disruptive bandhs at the first given opportunity, causing immense damage to property and inconvenience to citizens (‘BJP workers ransack Indore airport’, IE, July 7). After the Supreme Court’s order, the legal position is clear — whichever political group calls a bandh has to pay for the damages caused. The court should inflict exemplary damages on the VHP for violating the fundamental rights of citizens, time and again.

— Pratibha Gupta Delhi