What was Modi’s security staff carrying in black briefcases? Not nuclear code

Social media was abuzz over a picture of PM Narendra Modi's security officers carrying black briefcases that raised a lot of curiosity.

PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump with the PM's security guards who are carrying black briefcases | Twitter

New Delhi: A picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security officers carrying black briefcases became a topic of discussion on social media Tuesday.

In the picture, Modi is seen walking with United States President Donald Trump, who is on a two-day visit to India, and his security staff, and at least two security officers are carrying black briefcases.

https://twitter.com/NarangVipin/status/1232010426591916043?s=20

Security expert Vipin Narang said the black briefcase was not India’s ‘nuclear football’.

Narang, who is the associate professor of political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of MIT’s Security Studies Program, said on Twitter that he was sure the black briefcase was a “Kevlar shield for protection”.

“Some folks have asked me if the black case being carried by Modi’s security officer is India’s ‘nuclear football’. I don’t believe it is — I don’t think India has an equivalent to that. I am pretty sure it is a Kevlar shield for protection,” he said. 

ThePrint explains what Kevlar is and how such shields are used.

‘Briefcase-based foldable protection armour for VIPs’

Kevlar is an excellent anti-ballistic (bullet-and-knife-resistant) material as it takes a “great deal of energy to make a knife or a bullet pass through it”.

Kevlar is sold by a company named DuPont. Other companies sell it under brand names such as Twaron.

An official in the security establishment explained that, conceptually, such a shield is a “briefcase-based foldable protection armour for VIPs”.

“In case of a threat, a button is pressed and the folded armour plates unfold fast, creating an armour wall, which is placed in front of the VIP to protect him or her from incoming bullets,” the official said.

Usually, such armours are lightweight and can provide a quick protection to anyone from bullets. They have been traditionally used for VIP protection, the official added.

‘No use if first bullet hits target’

Another official in the security establishment said that while such a mobile and foldable body-protection system is part of the overall security of VIPs, most VIP-targeted attacks are either by a sniper bullet or by a bomb blast, for example in the case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

“Such a shield only comes to use after the first bullet is fired. If the first bullet hits the target or a blast takes place near the VIP, then such a shield has no use,” the official added.