World-Class Body Armour Made in India. But Not for Our Cops.

[The_Sidewinder]

MKU products are among the best in the world. No doubt about that. #proud

 

[JanjaWeed]

Last Monday, Baljit Singh, a brave Punjab police officer dared three terrorists who had entered the police station in Gurdaspur to come out and face him man to man.

Within minutes, Mr Singh was dead. He took a bullet to the head.

He was wearing neither a helmet nor an Indian Army innovation called the bulletproof patka, that gives Sikh men limited protection from gunfire.

Mr Singh's courage, or for that matter, the courage of the Punjab policemen around him cannot take away from the fact that guts alone cannot defeat highly trained terrorists armed to the gills.

Elsewhere, some policemen of the Punjab police wearing neither helmets not bullet proof vests engaged the terrorists with primitive Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), which was no match for the firepower of the enemy's AK-47s. A short distance away, burly cops of the police force moved up and down a roof throwing grenades at the terrorists and then ran for their lives before the grenades exploded. When the Punjab Police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams arrived, they were seen rushing to take up positions wearing their knee pads. They had not worn either their helmets or their bullet proof jackets.

14 years after the 2001 attack on Parliament, little seems to have changed for the policemen on the ground. Back then, some policemen tried engaging the heavily armed terrorists who attacked Parliament with pistols. During the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, some gutsy cops facing the likes of Kasab had nothing more than their lathis. Some had primitive Lee-Enfield .303 rifles. Very few had bullet proof jackets and almost no one had helmets other than cricket helmets which have somehow become standard issue for police forces across the country.

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that a helmet designed to stop a cricket ball can never stop a high velocity round from an AK-47, the infantry weapon of choice not just for terrorists but also Indian armed forces.

Why in 2015 are our policemen less protected than soldiers fighting the First World War a century ago? Believe it or not, there are solutions easily available right here in India.

Did you know that India is considered a world leader in body armor technology? Did you know that bullet proof jackets and helmets built to the highest specifications of personal protection are not just built in India but exported to more than 230 forces in over 100 countries?

Among the users - the British, German, Spanish and French Armies - and police forces stretching from Japan in the East to the US in the West.

At the Kanpur-based MKU, India's largest manufacturer of body armour, the biggest problem often lies with the mindset of the police forces that they have to deal with.

According to MKU Chairman Manoj Gupta, "Most of our police forces and reserve police as well in our states are mostly equipped for anti-riot protection, not for anti-terrorist operations. There has to be deep thinking over this by policy makers."

According to some estimates, there is a standing requirement of at least 50,000 bullet proof kits in India's police forces but there is never a clear indicator since individual states handle their own law and order decisions and rarely spell out a requirement until they finally come out with a tender.

But the problems begin when the acquisition process starts. Deadlines for acquisition are frequently extended. State forces refuse to reveal the methodology they use in assessing the capability of a particular system. Vendors looking to sell to police forces have serious questions with the evaluation process and often have to wait indefinitely for answers to queries they may have. All of this happens before time consuming price negotiations even begin with a shortlisted vendor.

Ironically, the manufacture of bullet proof kit in India comes at a time when the Centre is trying to push Make in India as one of its primary manufacturing strategies. In the case of companies like MKU, not only are they manufacturing in India, they are exporting their equipment to highly discerning foreign customers while looking to expand their footprint across the globe.

For the policeman or policewoman on the ground, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Bamboo shields, the trusty bamboo lathi, the .303 and Self-Loading Rifle are a constant. The only other constant is the courage that our police display on the ground. After all, that's all they have to take on a determined enemy who are better trained, better equipped and perhaps better motivated.

@Abingdonboy @Chanakya's_Chant @GURU DUTT @nair @he-man @sudhir007

Nothing but fire-fighting. Police hierarchy needs to be equally blamed for not equipping its officers with proper gear. Why don't they put their foot down & demand what is critically required from the govt? It's well & good to blame anyone & everyone when push comes to shove...however basic precautions should have been taken long time before terrorist attack, not afterwords!

 

[thesolar65]

Any idea, What is the minimum requirements in terms of materials and ammunition for a police force to fight with these kind of terrorists? I know we cannot equip every states police with like that of NSGs, but what is the minimum requirement? And what should be the number of such police force for each state (minimum) as that cost a lot also?

@JanjaWeed @The_Sidewinder side @Bang Galore @Guynextdoor2 @acetophenol @SR-91 @Agent Smith @anant_s

 

[Neptune]

Well that is not good I mean you guys have one of the best industry and you are buying from other countries.

There's no problem as long as it fits STANAG standards. From the police, infantry, cavalry to the special forces, there are a lot of types of body armors produced by Turkey and used by our units. Before that India was a good choice for NATO and still is. I had the chance to see one myself.

 

[Techy]

@Abingdonboy @Chanakya's_Chant @nair @acetophenol @Water Car Engineer @Guynextdoor2 @SrNair @Neptune @Zarvan @thesolar65 @anant_s @MilSpec and others.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Last Monday, Baljit Singh, a brave Punjab police officer dared three terrorists who had entered the police station in Gurdaspur to come out and face him man to man.

Within minutes, Mr Singh was dead. He took a bullet to the head.

He was wearing neither a helmet nor an Indian Army innovation called the bulletproof patka, that gives Sikh men limited protection from gunfire.

Mr Singh's courage, or for that matter, the courage of the Punjab policemen around him cannot take away from the fact that guts alone cannot defeat highly trained terrorists armed to the gills.

Elsewhere, some policemen of the Punjab police wearing neither helmets not bullet proof vests engaged the terrorists with primitive Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), which was no match for the firepower of the enemy's AK-47s. A short distance away, burly cops of the police force moved up and down a roof throwing grenades at the terrorists and then ran for their lives before the grenades exploded. When the Punjab Police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams arrived, they were seen rushing to take up positions wearing their knee pads. They had not worn either their helmets or their bullet proof jackets.

14 years after the 2001 attack on Parliament, little seems to have changed for the policemen on the ground. Back then, some policemen tried engaging the heavily armed terrorists who attacked Parliament with pistols. During the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, some gutsy cops facing the likes of Kasab had nothing more than their lathis. Some had primitive Lee-Enfield .303 rifles. Very few had bullet proof jackets and almost no one had helmets other than cricket helmets which have somehow become standard issue for police forces across the country.

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that a helmet designed to stop a cricket ball can never stop a high velocity round from an AK-47, the infantry weapon of choice not just for terrorists but also Indian armed forces.

Why in 2015 are our policemen less protected than soldiers fighting the First World War a century ago? Believe it or not, there are solutions easily available right here in India.

Did you know that India is considered a world leader in body armor technology? Did you know that bullet proof jackets and helmets built to the highest specifications of personal protection are not just built in India but exported to more than 230 forces in over 100 countries?

Among the users - the British, German, Spanish and French Armies - and police forces stretching from Japan in the East to the US in the West.

At the Kanpur-based MKU, India's largest manufacturer of body armour, the biggest problem often lies with the mindset of the police forces that they have to deal with.

According to MKU Chairman Manoj Gupta, "Most of our police forces and reserve police as well in our states are mostly equipped for anti-riot protection, not for anti-terrorist operations. There has to be deep thinking over this by policy makers."

According to some estimates, there is a standing requirement of at least 50,000 bullet proof kits in India's police forces but there is never a clear indicator since individual states handle their own law and order decisions and rarely spell out a requirement until they finally come out with a tender.

But the problems begin when the acquisition process starts. Deadlines for acquisition are frequently extended. State forces refuse to reveal the methodology they use in assessing the capability of a particular system. Vendors looking to sell to police forces have serious questions with the evaluation process and often have to wait indefinitely for answers to queries they may have. All of this happens before time consuming price negotiations even begin with a shortlisted vendor.

Ironically, the manufacture of bullet proof kit in India comes at a time when the Centre is trying to push Make in India as one of its primary manufacturing strategies. In the case of companies like MKU, not only are they manufacturing in India, they are exporting their equipment to highly discerning foreign customers while looking to expand their footprint across the globe.

For the policeman or policewoman on the ground, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Bamboo shields, the trusty bamboo lathi, the .303 and Self-Loading Rifle are a constant. The only other constant is the courage that our police display on the ground. After all, that's all they have to take on a determined enemy who are better trained, better equipped and perhaps better motivated.

@Abingdonboy @Chanakya's_Chant @GURU DUTT @nair @he-man @sudhir007

While modern small arms and proper protective gear is important and is lacking in many police departments across the country - the thing that's alarming the most is the absence of proper training and lack of standard operating procedures (SoP's) in the police forces while dealing with such terrorist attacks - During 26/11 as well when Mumbai Police caught the terrorists inside Cama Hospital - a group of local cops took cover besides a staircase and it just the terrorist a hand grenade to martyr them all - a similar scenario was seen during Gurudaspur attacks -

Punjab Police will have to relearn counter-militant tactics - one militant with a grenade would've taken out this lot! It's always not the terrorists - In today's world even gangsters have high end small arms in their hand - they can be deadly to deal with!

Punjab DGP when asked by the NDTV reporter about the shortage of bullet proof jackets replied that there were some 150 bullet proof jackets at the spot but the brave soldiers of Punjab Police didn't feel the need to have them - safety neglected?

Shaheed Baljit Singh did a great job - you don't see a police officer of the rank of SP or any other senior rank for that matter talking up arms against terrorists himself in such situations when all the odds are against them - he was in fact advised to leave the premises for his safety but he took the matter in his hands - says much about his professionalism and leadership spirit. His martyrdom will surely inspire many of his juniors - May his soul rest in peace!

Meanwhile MKU is a fine protective gear supply firm - their Custom and Integrated Body Armour (CIBA) is comparable to the best in the world alongside their other standard products.

MKU: Securing those who protect us » Indian Defence Review

Any idea, What is the minimum requirements in terms of materials and ammunition for a police force to fight with these kind of terrorists? I know we cannot equip every states police with like that of NSGs, but what is the minimum requirement? And what should be the number of such police force for each state (minimum) as that cost a lot also?

@JanjaWeed @The_Sidewinder side @Bang Galore @Guynextdoor2 @acetophenol @SR-91 @Agent Smith @anant_s

Such requirements especially the need of CT ops within the police departments are fulfilled through the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams which are formed out of the police forces itself - Police officers from within the police department are picked up and trained by military training institutes and are equipped with high end small arms and gadgets - Many Indian cities especially Metro ones have SWAT teams - the most famous one is of course the Mumbai Police SWAT team -

Mumbai SWAT has - Rifles SMLE Mk III*, Ishapore 2A1,SUB Machine GUN CARBINE 9 mm 1A1, 7.62 MM 1A1, Assault Rifle 7.62 mm, 38 MM Multi Shot Riot Gun, INSAS 5.56 mm, AK-47(247 in total), FN-FAL + 250 MP5 German automatic sub-machine guns and M4,M107 anti-material rifle and pistols like Glock pistol, Pistol Auto 9mm 1A, Smith & Wesson M&P etc - they also use bullet proof armored vehicles like Mahindra Marksman - even Mahindra Marksman been exported to countries like Chile although still only handful of our police departments have bullet proof armored vehicles.

​

 

[TimeTraveller]

Great Effort by an Indian Company but ...............

 

[OTTOMAN]

Last Monday, Baljit Singh, a brave Punjab police officer dared three terrorists who had entered the police station in Gurdaspur to come out and face him man to man.

Within minutes, Mr Singh was dead. He took a bullet to the head.

He was wearing neither a helmet nor an Indian Army innovation called the bulletproof patka, that gives Sikh men limited protection from gunfire.

Mr Singh's courage, or for that matter, the courage of the Punjab policemen around him cannot take away from the fact that guts alone cannot defeat highly trained terrorists armed to the gills.

Elsewhere, some policemen of the Punjab police wearing neither helmets not bullet proof vests engaged the terrorists with primitive Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), which was no match for the firepower of the enemy's AK-47s. A short distance away, burly cops of the police force moved up and down a roof throwing grenades at the terrorists and then ran for their lives before the grenades exploded. When the Punjab Police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams arrived, they were seen rushing to take up positions wearing their knee pads. They had not worn either their helmets or their bullet proof jackets.

14 years after the 2001 attack on Parliament, little seems to have changed for the policemen on the ground. Back then, some policemen tried engaging the heavily armed terrorists who attacked Parliament with pistols. During the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, some gutsy cops facing the likes of Kasab had nothing more than their lathis. Some had primitive Lee-Enfield .303 rifles. Very few had bullet proof jackets and almost no one had helmets other than cricket helmets which have somehow become standard issue for police forces across the country.

It doesn't take rocket science to understand that a helmet designed to stop a cricket ball can never stop a high velocity round from an AK-47, the infantry weapon of choice not just for terrorists but also Indian armed forces.

Why in 2015 are our policemen less protected than soldiers fighting the First World War a century ago? Believe it or not, there are solutions easily available right here in India.

Did you know that India is considered a world leader in body armor technology? Did you know that bullet proof jackets and helmets built to the highest specifications of personal protection are not just built in India but exported to more than 230 forces in over 100 countries?

Among the users - the British, German, Spanish and French Armies - and police forces stretching from Japan in the East to the US in the West.

At the Kanpur-based MKU, India's largest manufacturer of body armour, the biggest problem often lies with the mindset of the police forces that they have to deal with.

According to MKU Chairman Manoj Gupta, "Most of our police forces and reserve police as well in our states are mostly equipped for anti-riot protection, not for anti-terrorist operations. There has to be deep thinking over this by policy makers."

According to some estimates, there is a standing requirement of at least 50,000 bullet proof kits in India's police forces but there is never a clear indicator since individual states handle their own law and order decisions and rarely spell out a requirement until they finally come out with a tender.

But the problems begin when the acquisition process starts. Deadlines for acquisition are frequently extended. State forces refuse to reveal the methodology they use in assessing the capability of a particular system. Vendors looking to sell to police forces have serious questions with the evaluation process and often have to wait indefinitely for answers to queries they may have. All of this happens before time consuming price negotiations even begin with a shortlisted vendor.

Ironically, the manufacture of bullet proof kit in India comes at a time when the Centre is trying to push Make in India as one of its primary manufacturing strategies. In the case of companies like MKU, not only are they manufacturing in India, they are exporting their equipment to highly discerning foreign customers while looking to expand their footprint across the globe.

For the policeman or policewoman on the ground, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Bamboo shields, the trusty bamboo lathi, the .303 and Self-Loading Rifle are a constant. The only other constant is the courage that our police display on the ground. After all, that's all they have to take on a determined enemy who are better trained, better equipped and perhaps better motivated.

@Abingdonboy @Chanakya's_Chant @GURU DUTT @nair @he-man @sudhir007

Should we start petition for you?

 

[Neptune]

Body armors procurement for National Police from Indian MKU went through tests at TNU Research Center in Netherlands as well as General Directorate of Security acceptance tests. So I don't believe that putting dirt on India in this subject is fair. Here are some shots of MKU products used in recent action by TNP: (AFAIK, those used by Police SOF are military grade)

 

[acetophenol]

The constant complaints of our police forces not being equipped to take on terrorism overlooks some very simple points. Why would every police station have BPJ's or heavy firepower? Unless the state concerned is already under some kind of a serious threat, it would be deemed a colossal waste of money. In this case, the proximity to the border should have been a concern both of the state government & the central government but I still don't think it would make a lot of sense. Nor do you want to arm a police force with a lot of firepower. States must have an armed police component attached to areas of concern, not arm the whole police force.

Exactly! The prime cause of concern here should've been the failure of intelligence agencies to warn about an attack of this magnitude. BPJs to members of local police as the article suggests in entirely impractical and useless in our context.

Fundamentally no one in the force had adequate protection....coz the badals took that money and ate it.

Corruption isn't a news anymore!

 

[The_Sidewinder]

Any idea, What is the minimum requirements in terms of materials and ammunition for a police force to fight with these kind of terrorists?

Its tough to assume or ascertain these minimum requirements as threat perception, trainning & funds allotated to police forces of each states going to be different. For example, Assam police will be more prepared to handle a 7/11 kind of attack than Mumbai police as they are trained constantly in CI ops due to threat caused by various terror outfits active in NE.

I know we cannot equip every states police with like that of NSGs, but what is the minimum requirement? And what should be the number of such police force for each state (minimum) as that cost a lot also?

Minimum requirement should be a company of such highly trained SWAT force equipped with a helicopter so that they can respond to any such attacks even in the furthest corner of their state within hours.