Letters to the editor: Severe punishment for rapists

Severe punishment for rapists
Apropos of ‘Rapist got out on bail 10 days ago’, for habitual criminals like Mohammed Ismail Ansari prison is the place where they should be put permanently, if they are to be stopped from intruding into more houses. The courts deny bail to these criminals as they pose a danger to society. And that’s how it must be, till they are found to have reformed themselves and give an undertaking that they will not indulge in wrongful activities. The rape of a 27-year-old Spaniard, or any woman, is a heinous crime and the persons who have committed the act must be punished adequately so that it sends the proper signal to all such elements.
—HP Murali, Bangalore

II
I was shocked to read about the rape of a Spanish lady. Over and above this, I am disappointed at the careless attitude of the police in preventing these crimes against women. It has been reported that the accused has 28 cases against him and every time he was caught, he managed to get out on bail, and continued his criminal activities. Makes one wonder how many other such characters are roaming our neighbourhoods with the knowledge of the police! These persons should be punished severely, whether it is bobbitization or perhaps disabling the limbs of thieves, or else we would not be able to curb these crimes. The absence of severe punishment allows criminals to continue with their activities, leaving citizens unprotected and unsafe.
—Chelakara RS, by email

III
Why was the man who raped the young Spaniard allowed to roam free after committing numerous offences. These criminals should be executed without any hesitation. First-time offenders should be ‘bobbitized’ without exception, so that they cannot repeat the crime. I know there would be some human rights activists who will squirm at this suggestion, but may I ask what would they do if one of their family members was attacked?
—Jamshed Jal Patel, by email

Four more years
The re-election of president Barack Obama for a second term, despite the slow economic recovery and increasing unemployment, is significant. Of course, his determination in countering terrorism deserves to be applauded. The people have reposed their faith in him again. But he has a lot of work to do if he is to fulfil their expectations.
—NR Ramachandran, Chennai

II
Barack Obama’s re-election augurs well for India as he has been friendly towards us, in contrast to Mitt Romney who was perceived to be closer to Pakistan. One hopes Obama will continue to support the investigation into the 26/11 terror attack. That apart, the election campaign focused mainly on policies and performance and not on personalities, which is something that our political leaders must learn. This, probably, also contributed to Obama’s better-than-predicted margin of victory.
—Dr V Subramanyan, Thane

Finding a balance
Firdous Syed has hit the nail on the head when he calls for “a fine balance between development and nature”. The dilemma before managers of science and technology and and policy planners today is how to balance progress with concerns over the environment, as a lot of technological activity is disturbing ecological systems in a small or big way. Many of mankind’s milestones in evolution, whether it is the use fire or  cultivation, generation of electricity or mass production, have altered the order of natural life. Nevertheless, industrial development is a necessity for under-developed and developing nations whose people suffer malnutrition and hunger, inadequate health care and illiteracy. What is important is to identify the conceivable hazards in the use of specific technologies and to introduce appropriate measures to guard against them.
—VVS Mani, Bangalore

Cong must explain 
Time will tell whether the rivalry among factions in the Bharatiya Janata Party helps the Congress party in the forthcoming parliament session and the build up to the general elections. While the inquiry by RSS ideologue and chartered accountant S Gurumurthy into the Nitin Gadkari affair has earned the party president a reprieve, the BJP has lost its reputation of being ‘a party with a difference’. Is Gadkari glued to the seat because the party cannot find a suitable leader to lead it into the 2014 election? Whatever the case may be, Gadkari should have stepped down in the interest of the party.
—Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad