The will demonstrated by the Nagaland Police to enforce the Supreme Court ruling banning the use of sun control films of all shades and colours in vehicles, must be appreciated. While the State Capital of Kohima was the first to start enforcing the SC order, of more importance will be the commercial hub of Dimapur where all sorts of anti-social crime and illegal activity takes place with alarming regularity. It is obvious that those who break the law and commit crimes, they do so under the protection of whatever is available and this include dark window shades in vehicles. So this is very much a contributing factor to aid and abet crimes ranging from kidnapping, molestation, rape, transportation of illegal goods & weapons, movement of criminals, immoral activities, drinking liquor in vehicles etc. Besides this, removing dark shades from our vehicles will also better ensure safety in the road and prevent accidents. Dark films in our vehicles severely reduce visibility especially during night resulting in more accidents and removing them will greatly help in safety on the road.
The Morung Express must put on record its deep appreciation to many of the law abiding citizens in Kohima, Dimapur who were seen removing the dark shades from their vehicles either at home or in workshops. This is a good sign of respect for the law and sacrificing the comforts and convenience for the greater common good i.e. to work towards a crime free society. And now that the Nagaland police have started this exercise to enforce the SC order, it must do so relentlessly without any compromise. Our police officers who are working tirelessly to fight crime will be well aware of the threat posed by tinted glasses in aiding and abetting crime. Let us hope that we can contain all forms of criminal activity especially in the commercial hub of Dimapur. This exercise will also be useful both for the police as well as public to identity those who are law abiding citizens and the rest who will try to operate under the cover of darkness. Let us all realize that this is for our common welfare and safety.
While the SC order has exempted some category of people such as VIPs, giving the rationale of security, in a place like Nagaland, where there is already heavy police escort, our Ministers and other VIPs can go for voluntary removal of the tinted glass from their vehicles. VIPs may argue that they need some measure of protection to perform their public duty; nevertheless, they already have the privilege of using red lights and special number plates besides having police escort. This may cause some minor inconvenience to them but it will set an example for other citizens to follow. Removing the dark shades from our vehicles can also be that time for our society to come clean and lead more transparent lives especially at a time when we are talking about good governance, accountability and maintaining probity in public life. Yes with the shades removed from our vehicles, we may not look as sleek or stylish as before. But that is a small price we have to pay to fight crime.
