Time for calm in Egypt

THOUGH it has been a year since the ouster of the long-entrenched despot Hosni Mubarak, calm still eludes Egypt, as the land of the pyramids is again on the boil in the wake of an unprecedented football-related violence in the northern city of Port Said last Wednesday in which 74 people died due to killing, stampede and suffocation.

Clashes have been raging unabated in cities across the country, claiming several lives. And the people are seething with anger. But this time, it's the army, which is facing the ire. The first anniversary of the revolution, recently at Tahrir Square in Cairo, saw tens of thousands of Egyptians venting their anger at the generals. It's strange that the generals, seen as saviours just a year ago, have tarnished their image beyond redemption.

Though a probe is under way into the football carnage, reports and witnesses accounts abound on police laxity and apathy in containing the violence. While many see intrigues by vested interests behind the Port Said bloodshed, there are some perturbing queries afloat too. It's shocking how armed men were let into the stadium and why the cops remained mute spectators during the riot.

The crime, violence and sectarian unrest have vitiated the atmosphere further. The troop excesses have left people bitter. The images of soldiers manhandling and dragging women protesters, being circulated on YouTube and Internet, have drawn global condemnation.

In view of public's unrelenting mood and the vociferous demand for the military rulers to cede power to civilians, it would do well if the generals hasten the power handover process, instead of waiting till June, as decided earlier.

The onus now falls on the newly elected lawmakers of the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups to take the helm as soon as possible and put the country back on track.