Sir: News reports have emerged about a teenage boy being kept illegally in a seminary in Lahore, chained and locked up by the madrassa cleric on the orders of his father. The boy managed to escape and police have lodged a report against both cleric and father. What is this country coming to? How is it possible that a child can be kept in heavy metal chains just because, apparently, he would skip classes and was a bit of a delinquent? Do we treat people like dogs, keeping them on leashes and restraints? That this happened in a seminary comes as no surprise though because these ‘religious’ schools have become a playground for devious behaviour of all kinds. Perhaps the father knew only a cleric would fulfil his vile wish. SANA AFRIDI Lahore