Police conduct state-wide checking of own vehicles

Following cases of misuse of government vehicles surfacing and to prevent such vehicles from violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Nagaland Police carried out a three-hour frisking of its own vehicles and those registered under the department across the State on Thursday at the directive of director general of police (DGP).
The drive was carried out mainly to monitor and prevent use of such vehicles to transport cash, liquor, illegal drugs, weapons and other contraband items under the guise of police vehicles. Additional DG (law & order), Sandeep M Tamgadge, who headed a part of the drive in State Capital, disclosed that the State-wide surprise frisking exercise took place in all districts simultaneously from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
He said the drive was conducted after there were complaints of police vehicles being used for illegal activities.
He mentioned that in order to rule out any violation of MCC, all police vehicles, including those belonging to officials of the department, buses, trucks, mini trucks belonging to the police department were frisked.
During the drive, auctioned police vehicles that were plying without new registrations were also thoroughly checked.
Tamgadge stressed that public servants have to follow MCC once it came into effect and that they came under the supervision of Election Commission of India.
He cautioned that police vehicles or, for that matter, no government vehicle should be misused.
He clarified that the drive was carried out not to harass any individual, pointing out that as the polling date drew close, there could be some black sheep wanting to use such vehicles to carry out illegal activities under the guise of law enforcers.
He informed the media that all vehicles belonging to the government, CAPF and vehicles requisitioned for election, would continue to be frisked and monitored on a timely manner.
The ADGP said any government vehicle caught transporting illegal items or violating MCC would be an offence under Representation of People’s Act, IPC and cautioned that it would attract criminal and disciplinary action, beginning with suspension, followed by legal proceedings against the accused.
He disclosed that since the election process had begun in the State, overall seizures had crossed the levels of previous election by several folds.
He said the drive would be intensified in the coming days to ensure a free and fair election and prevent any form of inducement.
Over 56,000 litres of liquor, Rs 3.25 crore in unaccounted cash and narcotics worth almost Rs 39 crore had been seized so far.