Recently, a four-year girl was raped in Delhi. The incident indicates that the law and order situation in India is deplorable. It seems that the culprits have no fear of the law. This may be due to the government’s leniency toward criminals.

It is a given that when the government machinery makes light of criminal acts and there is a miscarriage of justice, then people inclined to break the law will become bolder and bolder. It is high time that the Indian government meted out tougher penalties, especially with regard to sexual crimes involving minor girls and women. — Anees Lokhande, Mumbai, India