After fighting terrorists and insurgents in the country’s trouble spots for more than a decade donning bulletproof ‘Patkas’, Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army may finally get custom-made ballistic helmets if the defence ministry has its way.
But mostly, wearing the bulletproof ‘patka’ or a helmet was a matter of personal choice. A key tenet of Sikhism is to leave hair uncut.
There is also a prevalent practice among many Sikh soldiers to tie a ‘choti pagri’ (smaller hair bun), which can be worn easily under the helmet, especially while conducting counter-terror operations.
The Indian military’s pilots flying fighters and helicopters are also seen wearing helmets while the commandos of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Fauj-i-Khas also wore helmets in the early 19th century.
THE WEEK was the first to report on January 6 about the government issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP), dated January 5, to procure helmets for the Indian Army’s Sikh soldiers. The end-user is to be the Indian Army.
Opposing the move to introduce the helmets, Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, tweeted on Thursday, “Turban is a symbol of our religious identity and has been placed on our heads by our great Guru Sahiban. The decision of GoI to make Sikh soldiers wearing helmets mandatory is an attack on our religious identity.”
The RFP issued is for 12,730 ballistic helmets under the emergency procurement through the fast track procedure, seeking 8,911 large and 3,819 extra large helmets with the condition that it has to be largely indigenous in design or content.
According to the design requirements, the “helmet should be able to suit the head size of Sikh troops and should have a centre bulge design” and should also “facilitate unhindered use of handset of communication radio, in-service night vision devices, personal spectacles and respirators / chemical hoods.”
The technical requirements specify that the helmets should be able to withstand 9 X 10 mm bullets fired from a distance of 5 metres and should be able to operate at temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees to plus 45 degrees centigrade.
The helmets should also be comfortable for continuous wear for at least six hours in varied operating environments.