Sweeper's claim a conspiracy by government: Kavita Karkare

New Delhi, Dec 24 (ANI): Kavita Karkare, the wife of assassinated (Anti Terrorist Squad) ATS chief Hemant Karkare says she cannot accept a JJ Hospital sweeper's claim that he disposed off the bulletproof jacket her husband was wearing when he was shot dead on November 26,2008.

In an interview to a news channel, she said it appears to be a cover up by the government.

Sweeper Dinesh Lalji Gatar said in a statement on Tuesday (December 22) before a magistrate that he had put a 'jacket' in a garbage disposal bag.

The police are now investigating to find out if that particular jacket was indeed Karkare's missing jacket.The Mumbai Police had earlier filed a case at the JJ Marg police station, to find the missing bulletproof jacket.

On December 7, the Mazgaon Metropolitan Court had asked Mumbai Police to investigate the case of the missing bulletproof jacket.

The court order came after the complaint was filed by Santosh Daundkar, who had moved the court, saying that the bulletproof jacket had gone missing from Sir JJ Hospital, where the body of the slain ATS chief was taken for an autopsy after being shot dead outside Cama Hospital.

Kavita Karkare had earlier filed an RTI to know about the quality of the bulletproof jacket. In response, she was told that the jacket was missing.

Kavita Karkare thereafter raised several questions with respect to the treatment given to martyred heroes of the country, while the government spends crores of rupees to conserve the bodies of the terrorists.On behalf of the government, Home Minister P Chidambaram apologised to the Karkare family.

Karkare, senior IPS officer Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar were killed together.

Although the three officers were wearing bulletproof jackets, they suffered bullet injuries to their chests, which put several questions over the effectiveness of these jackets. (ANI)