Date:17/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/17/stories/2008031755861002.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Shocking

The news that a 10-year-old boy was set on fire for demanding compensation from members of a wedding party whose car hit his bicycle was appalling. How could someone kill an innocent child? It is sad that we are still living in the Stone Age and our citizens have utter disregard for human life. Such acts are the result of the complete collapse of our legal system.

The rapid social and cultural changes are to blame; the urban-rural divide and the violence in cinema catalyse such incidents.

T. Marx,

Karaikal

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The most heinous and dastardly act shows that barbarism is rearing its ugly head in the capital after leaving a trail of inhuman acts in Bihar.

Public apathy and a weak police force encourage such psychopaths to behave in the way they did.

B. Gurumurthy,

Madurai

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The report that a 10-year-old boy was burnt to death by five members of a marriage party in New Delhi is shocking. Are we living in the 21st century or medieval times?

The crime has no parallel and warrants immediate action by authorities.

T.K. Subramanian,

Chennai

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No words can express with even remote adequacy my shock and extreme grief. I doubt if even people usually called savages would have done this to a 10-year-old. I do hope that the authorities will promptly take action against those responsible for this atrocity.

Mar George Theckedath,

Kottarakara