The government may have banned apps to send a strong message to a belligerent China, but what is worrying is the official recognition that these apps are not safe (“How not to tame the digital dragon”, July 2). Among the apps banned is Mi Community. But what about apps such as Mi Pay, Mi Drop, Mi Credit and Mi Cloud? Are there no privacy concerns with regard to them? What is important is a call for widespread investigation on the safety of all apps available in the Indian market as well as a serious discussion on the passing of the Data Protection Bill.
Pandalam, Kerala
The Madras High Court said that the Thoothukudi incident is the result of a “few bad apples” ruining a system’s reputation (“Police reform and the crucial judicial actor”, July 2). This doesn’t hold water as more than 1,500 custodial deaths were reported in India between 2001 and 2018 with very few convictions. These are just the recorded cases; it is safe to assume that many such deaths go unrecorded. Several commissions have been set up in the past to examine the issue but most of their recommendations have remained on paper. If there were only a few bad apples, they would have been removed by now. Clearly the rot runs deep.
Chennai
Minority groups are neglected by the government as they neither comprise large vote banks nor get proper representatives to speak for them (“Striking a blow against Assam’s inclusive ethos”, July 2). Many bureaucrats in Jharkhand, where I live, are unaware of the cultural practices of the tribals here. The only language that has got some recognition is Santhali. Others such as Ho and Kurukh have been included in the main examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, but are not included properly in the syllabus of state-run schools. There are also not enough teachers to teach these languages. The government must take steps to prevent extinction of these languages.
Jamtara, Jharkhand
If India is now slowly ‘unlocking’ and if people are allowed to go to shops and temples, they should also be allowed to attend funerals under strict guidelines (“‘No scientific reason to bar loved ones from last rites’”, July 2). Every human being deserves a dignified departure and every loved one deserves to say goodbye. People who want to attend the last rites of their dear ones should not be forbidden from doing so.
New Delhi
