Mumbai: Two years after Maharashtra ATS
chief Hemant Karkare was felled by terrorists during the 26/11 attacks, the state government is still in the process of procuring high-quality jackets that could withstand bullets
from AK 47 rifles, a top police official said Thursday
Karkare had been killed despite wearing a bullet-proof
jacket, sparking a row over their efficacy.
According to the official, a tender for the purchase
of 2000 high-standard vests which cannot not be pierced by
bullets from advanced weapons, including AK variety rifles, had been floated recently.
Karkare`s wife Kavita, who had raised doubts about the
quality of the jacket worn by her husband when he received
fatal injuries, had stirred a major controversy when she said
information made available to her through an RTI query
revealed that the vest had gone missing.
The state`s Congress-NCP government had come under
opposition attack following Kavita`s accusations of
sub-standard jacket having resulted in Karkare`s death.
As the controversy snowballed, it transpired that the
file related to the purchase too had gone missing. An inquiry
later found that the jacket worn by Karkare was disposed of by
the hospital staff by mistake. It was never found.
Bureau Report
