The law-enforcers being mute is what ends up emboldening the fringe to tease, torment and even take a toll on lives (Editorial page, “The growing power of the lumpen”, July 10.) The episodes of lynching are a blot on the face of a free, democratic India. If the new slogan of the government, ‘Sab ka saath, Sab ka vikas, Sab ka vishwas’ is to have any meaning, quick steps need to be initiated to win back the trust of all who are being targeted.

C.V. Aravind,

Bengaluru

Those from the minority community are beaten up, forced to chant a religious slogan and, then lynched. What response do such incidents evoke in the hearts of the right-thinking Indian? Strong and peaceful protests are needed. The government has worked on predictable lines: first denial, then symbolic arrests, later customary bails, protracted trials with endless adjournments and, finally, a much-delayed conviction, if at all. Public memory is short and a young son lost. Who will compensate his family for the irretrievable loss? So far no senior minister or even the Prime Minister has spoken out consistently to reassure the minorities. Civil society must make its presence felt especially as the Opposition is in disarray.

Dr. Kuruvilla Varkey,

Oddanchatram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu