R R Patil orders probe into Karkare's 'missing' jacket

28 November 2009,



MUMBAI: Maharashtra home minister R R Patil
has directed the police to probe the case of
the "missing" bulletproof vest of Anti-Terror Squad
chief Hemant Karkare, who died fighting terrorists
during the 26/11 attacks.

"Patil has taken a serious view of the issue
 (of missing jacket) and asked crime branch to
look into it," an aide of Patil said.

Union Home minister P Chidambaram has said it was
 "shoddy" of the Mumbai Police to have not been able
 to locate the bulletproof vest worn by Karkare when
he was fatally shot and added that he was sorry for the lapse.

Karkare was killed on the night of 26/11 near
Cama Hospital along with Additional Police Commissioner
 Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.

Karkare's widow Kavita had said she filed an application
under the Right to Information Act to locate the jacket
but was told it was not traceable.

There have been allegations that the bulletproof vest
 worn by Karkare at the time of his death was defective.