"Bad things" happening too frequently: Akhtar on Kathua case

Expressing concern over the brutal rape and murder of an an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, veteran screenwriter and poet Javed Akhtar said he is afraid that "bad things" have started to happen too frequently and one needs to be worried.

"What can be an opinion about a brutal rape and murder? Can there be any other opinion? The society doesn't move together, it remains in different time zones, cultural zones. Some good things happen, some bad things happen.

"I am afraid that many bad things have started happening rather too frequently and we, as a society, should be bothered about it," Akhtar told reporters.

The 73-year-old lyricist-writer, who spoke on the sidelines of "The Walk of Mijwan" event last night, said better values should be instilled in boys.

"There are long-term and short-term remedies. Short- term (remedy) would be to make law and order smarter and pro- active, and long term would be that our boys get better value system, which perhaps they aren't getting today," he said.

Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who was also present at the event, suggested stricter punishment to prevent such incidents. "Stricter punishment, that's something the whole nation has been asking for."
"It's actually not something we should be even asking for. That should be instilled in our boys, children right from the beginning. So yes, in terms of upbringing, this needs to be changed. Our boys should be taught better mentality."