Experts argue that no jacket is fool-proof. Doctors say the bullets that killed Karkare didn't pierce his vest. Manufacturers say the top cop was wearing it all wrong. Is this why the police force is sitting on a tender for 1,813 new, sturdier vests?

The proverb once bitten twice shy doesn't seem applicable for the Mumbai police. Post the 26/11-terror strike, while the home department and senior cops are busy procuring sophisticated weapons to strengthen their armoury, very little is being done to train cops on using the bullet proof vest.

Hemant Karkare's death has raised public outcry and questions on the quality of bulletproof jackets worn by the officer. It has also led to many speculative theories, adding to the recent furore over Karkare's missing jacket.

While some pointed out that the jacket would have saved his life, others blamed its inferior quality for the fact that it could not shield bullets. Jacket manufacturers and security experts say that the one worn by Karkare was not meant to stop hard steel core bullets fired from AK-47s.

'No marks on vest'
Moreover, experts also raised doubts about the manner in which Karkare had worn the jacket, as it exposed most of his upper body.

To corroborate this theory, the autopsy report of Karkare clearly shows that the five bullet wounds were nowhere near the jacket. An expert attached to the department of forensics medicine, Grant Medical College said, "Since the bullet entry wound was from the shoulder area, no bullet marks were on the vest."