Deadly item

Sir — Plastic pollution is one of the pressing concerns of our time. It may come as a surprise to many that the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world is cigarette butts, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting the environment. Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate and can take up to 10 years to degrade completely. It is crucial that cigarette butts are properly disposed of and then sent to recycling facilities. But the most effective way of managing this would be a complete ban on the production and sale of cigarettes. There are thus more reasons than one to ban cigarettes.

Raunak Basu,

Calcutta

Into the darkness

Sir — The reflective article, “Kafkaesque era” (July 8), by Anup Sinha illustrates the reality of how ordinary citizens increasingly have to face the coercion of the State. Sinha alludes to the collapse of rule of law in Afghanistan and the complete subjugation of citizens in North Korea but does not delve into specific incidents of concern in India. However, a cursory glance at news bulletins will show that the situation in India is worrying — the State has repeatedly violated citizens’ rights in the last eight years. The State is presumed to be impartial and laws are supposed to be framed for the greater good of the people. But that is rarely true.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee,

Hooghly

Sir — The article on the long arm of the State by Anup Sinha was eye-opening. Not only is there Stateoverreach in almost all aspects of life but the media, too, are guilty of propaganda. News channels have become kangaroo courts and are even discussing controversial cases that are sub judice. This is a gross violation of the law of the land.It is tragic that journalists and activists, such as Mohammed Zubair and Teesta Setalvad, have to face the wrath of the State while the former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, whose comments on ProphetMohammed led to communal tensions across the country, is still walking free. This speaks poorly of the state of our democracy.

Shovanlal Chakraborty,

Calcutta

Wrong step

Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, KiritSomaiya, has called UddhavThackeray a “mafia CM”.This has led to differences between the Eknath Shindecamp and the BJP, with the former blasting Somaiyafor his unseemly words. Deepak Kesarkar and Sanjay Gaikwad criticised the BJP leader for making such derogatory remarks against Thackeray. TheBJP must understand that while the Shinde camp has withdrawn its political support from the MahaVikas Aghadi government, many are still loyal to the Thackeray family.

Bhagwan Thadani,

Mumbai

Treat with dignity

Sir — The KarnatakaHigh Court must be lauded for its ruling that no individual, be it an accused, undertrial prisoner or convict, can be handcuffed unless the reason for doing so is properly recorded in the case diary. The ruling came after a law student from Belgaum district sought compensation for loss of reputation, illegal detention and illegal handcuffing by the police in a case of financial dispute. As per the directions of the Supreme Court, the use of handcuffs by the police is strictly prohibited in India, except when authorised by a court. Putting manacles on a person can be dehumanising and cause emotional distress. The police must not recklessly handcuff people in public.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai

Noble vision

Sir — It was good to learn that the Chhattisgarh government has announced ‘bagless days’ in schools on Saturdays, during which yoga, exercise, sports and cultural activities will be organised in the educational institutions (“BaglessSaturdays in schools”,July 8). This will be crucial for the mental and physical well-being of pupils. Students in Chhattisgarhwill certainly enjoy going to school on Saturdays from now on. Other states should also follow suit.

Sourish Misra,

Calcutta

Be careful

Sir — Road accidents are one of the major causes of premature death around the world. India tops the world in road crash deaths and injuries. According to a report by the transport research wing of the ministry of road transport and highways, around 151,113people died in 480,652 road accidents across the country in 2019. Speeding, not using safety gears like helmets or seat belts, drink-driving are some of the main reasons for road accidents. While accidents can happen anytime people are unmindful on the road, mishaps are more likely to happen in the rainy season because of slippery roads. Drivers as well as pedestrians should always follow traffic rules in letter and spirit.

Kanishka Malviya,

Ujjain

Sir — Youngsters, especially those driving bikes, zoom around the city streets at such high speed that it makes one wonder if they care about their lives at all.

Nidhi Sharma,

Delhi