Dhoni's tinted windows

We often wonder why Indian cricketers have egos the size of David Beckham's new paycheque. We challenge Sourav Ganguly's apparently supercilious attitude to the rest of the world. And yet the truth of the matter is that it is the Indian public that fuels this, and as such they really have no right to complain.

Witness the fate of Inspector Saifuddin Ahmed, in Ranchi, who recently stopped an expensive SUV which had dark-tinted windows. Tinting is permitted to different extents in different countries and states, and in this case the inspector was merely enforcing the law. To his undying credit, it did not bother him that the driver of the vehicle was Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Unfortunately, things are not quite that simple. Because of his attempt to uphold the law which is he is duty-bound to serve, Inspector Ahmed has been demoted. He no longer patrols the downtown commercial district, and has been sent out to pasture in a distinctly downtrodden residential bazaar.

The remarks of the Chief Minister of the state (Jharkand), Madhu Khoda, say it all. "The police should be liberal while dealing with persons of his stature," he is quoted as having said. "What is the harm if a person of his standing [breaks the law]"

Need I say more?