Chief minister recently said bulletproof jackets are safe.
Chief minister Ashok Chavan had recently told the media that the bulletproof jackets of the police force, including the one worn by slain Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare on the night of 26/11, were quite safe.
The Bombay high court said on Thursday that Chavan should be given the bulletproof jacket worn by Karkare, and his security be withdrawn. The court was hearing a public interest litigation [PIL] by Santosh Daundkar, whose RTI query has revealed several irregularities in the purchase of the substandard jackets by the officials concerned.
A division bench of Justice JN Patel and Justice Amjad Sayed told the state to reply to the allegations of substandard bulletproof jackets being procured for the police force. It was because of these substandard jackets that top cops like Karkare, additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte, and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar died during last year’s terror attack, the PIL has said.
The petition has gone on to add that a sensitive file, containing incriminating information about senior public servants, was lost. It has also listed 16 blatant violations of the prescribed rules during the purchase of the jackets.
On Thursday, the petitioner’s lawyer, YP Singh, told the court that following the Mazgaon court order, an FIR had been lodged in the case of the “missing” jacket of Karkare. He added that the purchase of the “substandard” bulletproof jackets in 2003 had been okayed by the then chief minister.
Daundkar has alleged in his petition that the state government instead of taking action against the “guilty officers”, had gone out of its way to protect them. “The categorical statement issued by the chief minister [Ashok Chavan] clearly indicates that there is a resolve to keep the fraud under wraps,” the petition states.
“These bulletproof jackets were worn by senior police officers, who were under the impression that they would be able to fight the terrorists with adequate protection. However, when the terrorists fired at the cops, the bullets pierced the vests killing three officers,” it adds. The petitioner has sought a CBI inquiry in the purchase scam.
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