The Shillong Times: Guwahati: Monday, August 20, 2018.
Even as the
efficacy of the bullet-proof jackets that are being used by Assam Police are
under scan after the May 4 last death of a young police officer Bhaskar Kalita
during a gun battle with ULFA-I militants near Assam-Arunachal border under
Bordumsa police station in Dibrugarh district, a RTI activist has stirred the
hornet’s nest here by alleging that irregularities were committed while
procuring the lot of bullet proof jackets from a firm based in Bengaluru.
Besides
Bhaskar Kalita, Assam police have lost at least two more officers, one
Additional SP, Guljar Hussain and Nityananda Goswami while fighting ultras
wearing these bullet-proof jackets.
RTI activist
Dulal Borah alleged before media here that it was on June 17, 2010 when the
tender was floated for procurement of 1560 bullet proof jackets for Assam
Police. Subsequently, a Bengaluru-based company, M/S Tata Advance Materials
Limited was entrusted to supply the bullet-proof jackets.
The RTI
activist Dulal Bora alleged that irregularities occurred and quality was
compromised during the supply of bullet-proof jackets. He said as per the
conditions mentioned in the tender advertisement it was mentioned that the
weight of a standard-size bullet proof jacket must be 6.81 Kg while that of a
large-size should be 7.12 kilogram. But each of the bullet-proof jackets that
are being used by Assam police weighs only three kgs.
According to
the RTI activist, the bullet proof jackets should have at least four layers of
bullet resistant armour plates to become really bullet-proof. He said such
jackets were useless if they contained even one layer of armour plate missing.
He alleged that the weight of the bullet-proof jackets supplied by
Bengaluru-based firm and used by Assam police was low because there were only
two layers of armour plates inside them.
The RTI activist
demanded an enquiry as to why the then purchasing committee of Assam police
headed by an ADGP rank officer agreed to purchase low-quality bullet-proof
jackets fitted with only two layers of armour plates that would definitely put
the life of officers and jawans of the force in high risk while fighting armed
insurgents.
Meanwhile, an
additional- chief secretary level investigation initiated by Assam government
into the efficacy of the bullet-proof jackets was in progress, a highly-place
police official informed. The government of Assam, though desired, could not
announce as award posthumously for
deceased young police officer, Bhaskar Kalita who was wearing one of such
bullet-proof jackets while fighting insurgents, because of non-completion of
inquiry. It was mentioned by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal during his
address to the people of the state on last Independence Day.
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