Tale of two cities

Sir — The editorial, “Street theatre” (June 29), while commenting on a recent incident in which a fruit-seller was beaten up by a policeman, observes that “the solidarity lay in the crowd identifying with the boy’s plight and taking action against the policeman.” However, when Tina Mukherjee, a model, was assaulted on a Calcutta road, and people did not come to her rescue, The Telegraph splashed photographs of nondescript models and sought the opinion of sociologists about the growing public apathy in the city. Does this imply that the average Calcuttan has a split personality? The answer is in the negative. The Telegraph should have understood, as it seems to have finally, that the dichotomy is explained by the word ‘identification’. Middleclass Calcuttans, who use public transport and gather at crowded bus-stops, can identify with a hard-working fruit vendor, but they fail to identify with navel-baring belles or their dandy male escorts. To qualify for social protection, one needs to conform to social norms so that the society at large can relate to, and identify with, the victim and come to his or her rescue. The banana seller did so, and Tina did not.

Yours faithfully,
Chameli Pal, Batanagar

Sir — The idea that there are “circuits of violence in a society grounded on inequality” is unacceptable (“Street theatre”, June 29). Inequality also exists in First World countries, but misbehaviour on the part of either the police or the public is unthinkable there. It is the lack of education and proper upbringing that causes incidents such as the one which occurred on Camac Street. India, after all, is a country where doctors are beaten up and hospitals ransacked for alleged maltreatment of patients. In the developed world, people do not vandalize public or private property for such grievances. They go to court.

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Calcutta

Sir — It is wrong to assume that all policemen are like Harendra Nath Panchal, who allegedly did not pay for a banana he had bought from Chandan Sau, a poor vendor. Although some policemen decline to pay up or pay in full for their purchases, many refrain from flexing their muscle. There is more reason to believe that Panchal did not pay than to accept that he did. Panchal claimed that he had paid Rs 5 to Sau who returned the change. His story would have been more plausible had he claimed that he had paid the exact amount to Sau, who then forgot about it while catering to other customers. In any case, Panchal had no right to assault Sau

The Calcutta Police should not consider this as an isolated incident and overlook it since occasions such as these cause serious damage to its image. It is widely believed that the vendors pay regular hafta to policemen, corporation officials, political parties, union leaders and local goons to stay in business. Hence, it is not possible for them to offer anything for free. Another troublesome aspect of the story is the beating that the officer-in-charge of the police picket received at the hands of the crowd. What would such policemen do in case of a robbery by an armed gang? Are police pickets mere showpieces then?

Yours faithfully,
G.D. Dujari, Calcutta

Historic start

Sir — The editorial, “The myth of Plassey” (June, 24), explains lucidly the reasons why the battle was fought and the implications of this historic event. Before the British arrived, India was already a land divided among various rulers, and the monarch in Delhi was a foreigner. The Mughals contributed very little to the development of the land. They did nothing to improve education and industry. Therefore, it is unfair to label only the British as selfish foreigners who came to plunder the nation’s wealth. The lavish lifestyles of the nawabs and badshahs severely drained the resources of the country. Without English education and modern industries under the British, India would not have managed its current economic growth. There would, for instance, have been no IT or business process outsourcing today had the British not won at Plassey and, subsequently, at Buxar.

Yours faithfully,
J. Roy, Calcutta

Sir — The special page on the 150th anniversary of the battle of Plassey was very instructive. It was a time when the British sun was rising in the East, even as it was setting in the New World. Fuelled by their indomitable will, hard work, integrity and patriotism, and helped by their science and technology, the British would, in any case, have defeated the weak and undisciplined Indians. What was true of Indians then continues to be true even today.

Yours faithfully,
U.S. Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — There were undoubtedly other battles more important than Plassey. But Plassey will continue to be regarded as the stepping stone for British imperialism in India.

Yours faithfully,
N. Samaddar, Calcutta