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May 5, 1998

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How Readers reacted to Dilip D'Souza's recent columns

Date sent: Sun, 3 May 1998 19:52:55 -0500
From: "Curtis Collins" <curt@wt.net>
Subject: The Becker article

Brilliant. And so true. I will be writing a similar article for my fashion/tennis magazine -- Indigo. My take on Becker, though, is not only on-court but off as well. And there's more to be said about his on-court brilliance that separates him even from Pete Sampras -- a genius that makes him clearly the greatest player ever.

Good job. Great work. I would love to quote you for the article. May I?

Curtis Collins

Date sent: Sat, 2 May 1998 08:23:04 -0700
From: "Chandru Narayan" <ramturbo@portland.quik.com>
Subject: Dilip D'Souza's column on police encounters

The underworld feeds the police and it is a known game. The politicians protect the underworld to keep their election coffers well funded and to intimidate the voters. Whoever Commissioner Ramamurthy is, he is only doing what all IPS officers do, and that is to protect the smaller man in the force. If Ramamurthy went to the chawls it would be a different story.

Police encounters got legalised by K P S Gill in Punjab and found its way into the IPS manual to get rid of whoever looked suspicious. The local police at the sub inspector and inspector rank have good connections in the ruling Congress, or Sena or with other politicians. He is corrupt and obese. The only function they do is to take advantage of the citizens under the colour of authority.

I do not think that police training consists of any classes on collection, analysis and preservation of evidence, everything can be solved by third degree methods. Dilip next time you have a camera make sure it takes Polaroid pictures so that the police will know what photographs are in your possession.

Date sent: Fri, 1 May 1998 14:18:46 -0400
From: Rajeshwar Deshpande - PA <Rajeshwar_Deshpande@gmaccm.com>
Subject: Dilip D'Souza's article about the Srikrishna Report

Your article on the efforts of the Maharashtra government not to make the Srikrishna Report public brings into light the obvious involvement of the Shiv Sena leaders in the Bombay riots. People who have suffered traumatic losses in terms of life and property will not forgive the heinous crimes the Shiv Sena have committed, and I hope and pray that the prayers of the victims to bring the criminals to justice will not go unanswered.

A wonderful article, sir.

Date sent: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 14:40:00 +0900
From: "Udaya Bhanu" <uday@telecom.samsung.co.kr>
Subject: We want to read that report now -- Dilip D'Souza

Yes, yes, Dilip D'Souza. I agree with you. WE WANT TO READ THAT REPORT NOW. And, whoever is responsible for those riots should be damned, no doubt about it. It is high time these politicians learnt that playing with the lives of innocent people is dangerous. They need exemplary punishment.

There is absolutely no doubt that some heavyweights are heavily indicted in the report -- that alone can explain the reason for the delay in making the report public. There should be a mechanism for making the reports automatically public right after the enquiry is complete through a law. The whims and fancies of a government should not be allowed to hold anything back.

Will that ever happen? We saw how the Supreme Court went out of its way to shield Narasimha Rao. Now, what is the guarantee that the guilty will actually be punished? Are the laws in India only meant for the ordinary citizens -- poor and powerless? Not for those stinking rich, corrupt politicians? I hope it changes soon.

Uday

Date sent: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 15:11:22 +1000
Subject: Stay with it - Dilip

Stay with it -- and don't let go. I appreciate what Dilip D'Souza is doing in persisting with the topic. I too was one of the millions who lived through the horror and shame of those days and nights in 1992-93, staying up nights with my neighbours to guard against unnamed dangers and watching Bombay being torn apart -- and perhaps permanently damaging the character of the city that I will always call home.  

I shall send the fax to the chief minister -- and I hope that all Bombayites, wherever they are in the world, will join in with their voices -- and ensure that the report is tabled in the legislature.  

Shekar
Melbourne

Date sent: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 14:36:19 -0700
From: <joule@register.com (JP -- joule@register.com)>
Subject: D'Souza is a leftist, anti Hindu

Has this man raised any voice against the butchery of Hindus in Kashmir, or the dubious methods used by Christian missionaries for converting poor Hindus in the North-East?

The riots in Bombay were started because of the chawl incident. Hindus have the right to hit back when provoked too, you know. For too long we have been silent and passive. Enough is enough.

Vinay

Date sent: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 16:18:19 -0500
From: "Milind R. Naphade" <milind@ifp.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Mudslinging

Here we go again, Mr D'Souza, full of venom and blind hatred for the BJP. When will he understand that he cannot get away by mentioning the Srikrishna Commission Report in every column he writes. It seems to me that Mr D'Souza is out of ideas. Hence the repeated mention. I remember quotes from other newspapers filling his columns in unrelated columns that he has written...

Such a pity Rediff lets Mr D'Souza continue writing against the party he obviously seems to hate. The only other person who has so much malice for the BJP seems to be the Janata Party president. Not to mention about Mr D'Souza's last column in which he wrote about the late Dada Kondke's movies without even bothering to see one of them. I hope this time Rediff does not censor this mail of mine and has the courage to let all of it go into the reader's column instead of protecting one of their worst journalists.  

Milind

Rediff does not censor any mail deliberately. As evident from the length of many letters, we don't hack letters to fit them in a given slot. However, letters are edited to remove libelous statements..

Date sent: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 15:50:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Javeed Shaik-Mohammad <javeed@bobcat.ent.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Dilip D'Souza "We want to read that report now!"

It was a wonderfully written and well researched article. Keep it up, the power of the pen is always mightier than the sword.

Javeed

Date sent: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 15:09:39 -0400
From: <Rajesh_Paul@fpl.com>
Subject: We want to read that report now!

The BJP-Shiv Sena is no different from any of the other parties. I know a lot of our BJP/Sena/RSS fanatics (I call them that since they don't seem to think straight) will whine -- that the others did it too. What they don't realise is that it makes them just the same as others, corrupt and greedy for power, with no respect or care whatsoever for the country and its people -- with a dash of communal colour added as well, which makes them even more dangerous. I for my part, will definitely send in the fax. In fact I would like to send one to Vajpayeeji too. Anyone has his fax number/email?

Further, isn't there some legal way through which the people could demand what is rightfully theirs. I mean something other than depending on our 'esteemed' Opposition members?

Rajesh

Dilip D'Souza

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