Bikram Vohra knows well how to write on any subject. His article “Why I don’t want to ‘celebrate’ I-Day” (Aug. 16) has also been written remarkably well.

An amazing writer, he has thorough command over the English language, which bears his exclusive mark in any of his pieces.

India, Bikram rightly says, needs unity and harmony among its people if it has to stomp on the path of peace and progress. And, the country will fail if it remains mired in unrest and if various sections of society do not get along well with each other.

Unpleasant atmosphere with social criminalities like mutual hatred, communal politics, extremism and riots frustrates country’s economy and its distinct status in the world community.

The country has seen more than 600 riots in just two months under the present regime of Bharatiya Janata Party led by its Hindu leader Narendra Modi since it came to power in May this year. Incidents of anti-Muslim violence have taken place generally all over the world mainly in the country’s largest provinces, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Despite being the largest democracy in the world, the government gives scant respect to the principles of this political system. The country needs an inclusive administration with every community being given proper opportunities to excel in their respective domains. It surely never helps India when we find Muslims’ — or any other minority community’s, for that matter — negligible presence in any public sector or in departments like police and army.

The leaders today may forget the Muslim past to their own disadvantage, but the rich heritage that the community has given to India is globally recognized and are among the symbols of Indian pride and prestige. In its over 700 years rule in the Indian subcontinent, the Mogul emperors consolidated its geo-strategic position for the first time in India’s history.

Several Muslim leaders like Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad worked tirelessly to win freedom for India from Britain’s colonialist government. These sacrifices and contributions are being forgotten and Muslims are being labeled as terrorists and are falsely implicated in terror acts and dumped in jails. There are reports that they are languishing in jails without trial and in most cases they are being killed systematically inside prisons.

Such policies of hatred from the top level will pit communities against each other and India will spiral down into a pit of chaos and unrest.

Anees Lokhande