•Sobhana K.: People are holding rallies protesting against the encounter but your government is not ready to back your own police. The police force is very angry, it feels abandoned.

I do not think the police misunderstand the government. There is a procedure, let it be followed. If some people have doubts, it is our duty to convince them that we will not adopt wrong methods to defend ourselves or to unnecessarily harass others. We would like to be as correct as possible and that is exactly what we are doing. People say I am very soft on terror—what do they mean? Should I go on shouting about the matter? Should I contradict them every now and again? If an occasion arises where dialogue ceases to work and the state has to act, it will do so. On the other hand, deciding that a certain section of the society is solely responsible for a terrorist incident and proceeding against them is not correct. I am not going to form an opinion on the basis of hearsay.

•Shekhar Gupta: Was Inspector M.C. Sharma a hero?

Why should we ask these questions? If he has died in the service of the nation how can we say he has not done his duty unless it is proved otherwise? I went to his funeral, offered flowers, sympathised with his family and unless it is proved otherwise, I do not want to degrade him or his memory. I do not know how many people actually knew Sharma closely, but everyone is now forming opinions and raising questions about him.

... contd.