The Shiv Sena's demand goes against Bal Thackeray's ideals
This refers to Namita Bhandare's article Roosting place for pigeons (Another Day, December 8). The purpose of memorials and statues of leaders and celebrities is to remind people about their sacrifices for the nation or contributions to society. But some of our leaders have politicised the concept of memorials. The Shiv Sena, which is bent on building a memorial for Bal Thackeray at a particular place in Mumbai, should realise that by making an unreasonable demand to the BMC, it is going against the very ideals that Thackeray stood for and on which he formed the party.
SP Sharma, via email

Give them their lives back
I agree with Barkha Dutt's views in No angst to spare (Third Eye, December 8) that the State has ruined the lives of many innocent young people by implicating them in false terror cases simply because they belong to a particular religious community. The worst part is that when it's established that most of these people are innocent, the State does not help them to start their lives afresh with honour. It is important to have a parliamentary discussion on this issue. We must find a way to stop this for good. The State must formulate a rehabilitation policy for innocent people who lose precious years of their lives fighting false criminal charges.
Vinod Tyagi, via email

II
It's easy for the State to tarnish a person's reputation by accusing him of being a terrorist and locking him up in a prison for years. But it's extremely tough for that person to prove his innocence and later lead a respectable life. I would also like to highlight the hypocrisy of people who refuse to give the respect that a falsely accused person deserves but vote politicians with criminal records to power.
Charumati, via email