Sixteen months after the killing of then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare in the 26/11 terror attack sparked a controversy over the failure of the bullet-proof jacket he was wearing,the state government said on Wednesday that the vest he was wearing was not designed to shield him from automatic rifle bullets. It also said that there is no bullet proof jacket available in the global market which guarantees 100 percent protection to human life and went on to contradict a 2002 report by a panel which included IPS officer Ashok Kamte who was also killed along with Karkare which had tested the jackets and said they may give protection against AK-47 assault rifle and 7.62 SLR. The state governments comments came in response to a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court by an activist who has alleged fraud in the purchase of the jackets,leading to sub-standard jackets being acquired by the police. Vinita Kamte,the widow of Ashok Kamte,refused to comment on the issue unless she read the documents.
