Divyachakshu: Indian Army's new tool to detect terrorists hiding behind walls

Divyachakshu is designed to scan a 25-30 cm wall.

Divyachakshu or the divine eye is the new technology that the Indian Army will use to detect terrorists hiding behind walls or false ceilings. This would be a crucial tool for the Indian Army in counter-insurgency operations especially in the Kashmir Valley.

The new technology would enable the forces to get the exact location of the terrorists hiding inside homes and in congested areas. The use of this technology would also ensure that there are no civilian casualties.

There have been several instances when the Army had to return without nabbing or killing the terrorists despite specific intelligence. In several cases, the terrorist has gone undetected as he has been hiding in false ceilings.

Terrorists tend to hide in houses and use civilians as human shields. This has made operations difficult. However the use of Divyachakshu will help overcome that problem, Army sources say.

Often, troops face hostile crowds when they are unable to locate a terrorist at a house notified by human intelligence as well as technically generated intelligence.

Given the many hits and misses, need was felt for 'through-the-wall' radars which would help troops function better during counter-insurgency operations especially in densely populated areas, Army officials also explained.

How Divyachakshu works:

Divyachakshu is designed to scan a 25-30 cm wall. The radar is based on short electromagnetic waves generated by the 'signatures' of people hidden behind the wall or other concrete barriers.

It is useful for detecting small changes in electromagnetic waves induced by humans; this includes even micro-movements caused by breathing.

The images on the radar will give army an upper hand in determining the position of hiding terrorists and their movements on real-time basis. Though the Army has imported only a few such radars, officials are hopeful that the number would go up once their utility was put to test.

Interestingly, the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), a wing of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been making attempts to build the radar indigenously. However, the product has not moved to the trial stage yet.

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