President Ramnath Kovind’s reference to ahimsa, made during his Republic Day address, is extremely relevant in today’s times when agitations tend to turn violent, resulting in huge loss of human lives and property. (“Remember the gift of ‘ahimsa’: President,” Jan. 26). The right to dissent remains sacrosanct in a vibrant democracy like ours but violence of any sort should be anathema to those behind the stirs. The infiltration of anti-socials into protests is the raison d’etre for their degenerating into a free for all where the police are left with no option but to intervene and take all possible steps to end the orgy of violence resulting in casualties on both sides.
C.V. Aravind,
Bengaluru
