It’s heart-rending to know that 18 people have lost lives and scores of people have been injured in a stampede at two platforms of Delhi railway station. It’s quite an avoidable tragedy. With all men and machinery like police personnel and announcement systems available at hand, the stampede could occur, showing utter failure of crowd management. The CCTV images of burgeoning crowd might have alerted the officials concerned beforehand. The abnormal inflow of human footfalls could have been controlled in time. People are also equally responsible for not heeding the directions in the time of crisis.

Dr DVG Sankara Rao, Vizianagaram

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Whoever is responsible and whatever the reasons may be for this mishap, innocent lives are lost. Since commencement of Mahakumbh Mela, hundreds of people died during stampedes at the rivers and travelling. Blind devotion knows no rules, no safety, no discipline, no culture and no humanity. Oh God save our devotees from blind beliefs! Change of platforms at the eleventh hour generally causes panic among passengers and havoc. Their safety should be the prime motive to any transport agency.

Dr N S R Murthy, Secunderabad

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One feels that the railway authorities must have been more proactive to avoid such situations, especially when there is a heavy rush of people waiting to board a particular train. As a train traveller, I have witnessed with trepidation heavy rush in major railway junctions when multiple trains arrive and depart, with people crammed on the foot over bridges, waiting for the train to arrive as platforms are already occupied by people – either getting from the train or wanting to board it.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad

Operation Demolition by BJP in Punjab

Choosing Amritsar for the touchdown of the flight carrying illegal deportees from the US is a well-planned plot to derail the AAP government in Punjab by the BJP after they have seen their success in recent Delhi elections using the divide-and-rule theory. Illegal immigration is the subject of the union government, and the state government is not at all responsible for the same. There are several other people from the neighbouring states like Haryana where the central ruling party rules but they chose Amritsar only. Hence, the grand old party Congress and the BJP arranged the initial stage to oust the Mann government in Punjab. It is a well- arranged plot which will have much continuous effect till Punjab assembly elections in February 2027.

Padmanabha Suryanarayana, Kochi

BJP wants Kejriwal to go into oblivion

The BJP government wants to discredit and haunt Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’, so that he takes political sanyas. His political rising and ‘uprising’, indeed, threatened the existence of mainstream political parties, viz., Congress, BJP, etc. BJP desires that AAP needs to go into oblivion. Kejriwal will counter the allegations on ‘Sheesh Mahal’ by pointing to ‘Raj Mahal’ i.e. the BJP headquarters. The former Delhi CM is threatened with a CVC probe, but the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was and is an official residence of the CM. Could there be any impropriety in building a lavish official residence?

P R Ravinder, Hyderabad

Intolerance marks political debates

It is clear that negativity and intolerance that dominate our political landscape are a far cry from the values that our founding fathers fought for. It’s time for our leaders to take a step back and reassess their priorities. We need to focus on constructive dialogue and issue-based politics, rather than personal attacks and divisive rhetoric. Let’s not forget that united we stand, divided we fall.

Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

MSMEs must learn to be resilient

The US’ push for reciprocal tariffs, framed as a ‘fair trade’ corrective, has sent shockwaves through global markets. But for India’s MSMEs industry, this moment could be less about survival and more about reinvention. By upgrading to world-class standards at affordable costs, MSMEs can tap into vast export markets and become more competitive, resilient, and export-ready. This would require a multi-pronged approach, involving government incentives, technology transfers, and skill development programmes. By doing so, MSMEs can shine as stars of innovation and growth even amidst tariff war threats.

Shruti Saggar, Pune