Now, Commandos equipped with MP5A3 guns
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Gyanand Naorem
Imphal, March 11 2013:
The Manipur Police Commandos have been equipped with MP5A3 submachine guns, the latest and most sophisticated weapons used by police forces around the world today.
However, in India, submachine guns are being used only in some insurgency prone areas of North East region.
And Manipur, being an insurgency affected State, 300 MP5A3 submachine guns have been provided to the State Police Department for use by its Police Commandos.
The required training for the use of the weapon has been completed and the Police Commandos have already started using and brandishing MP5A3 submachine guns of late.
Five of the Manipur Police Commandos, who were engaged in the combing operation carried out in Pallel area yesterday that led to the arrest of one NSCN (IM) cadre and two other people along with drugs, were seen using the sophisticated weapons.
It has been reported that from the total 300 MP5A3 submachine guns sanctioned for the State, 30 of them have been marked for Thoubal district.
According to reliable sources, the said sophisticated guns have been provided to all the Commando units of every district of the State.
Around 50 MP5A3 submachine guns have been issued to commandos of Imphal West, 40 to Imphal East Commandos and 30 to Police Commandos in Bishnupur district.
Made in Germany by one Heckler & Koch company, MP5A3 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world today.
So far, 40 nations and numerous military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security organizations have adopted this weapon.
With all the equipments attached to the main body part, the weight of the gun comes to around 3.1 kg.
Coming in over 100 variants including a semi-automatic version, the version received in Manipur is that of A-3 series.
It has the capacity of holding 30 bullets in its magazine.
Though there are provisions for holding an extra magazine, it has not yet been provided to the Commandos of the State at present, sources added.
Sources further informed that MP5A3 emits out a ray which can be seen only by someone who is holding the gun, and thus can easily kill his/her opponent even during the pitch-dark night.
Apart from this, it also has a torch light attached to the main body, which can be used in three different ways in terms of emitting light.
The gun can fire out 800 bullets in one minute.
Though the effective range of the gun is 100 metres under normal circumstances, yet it can reached upto a distance of 200 metres.
One of the most unique features of MP5A3 submachine gun is that it has been designed in such a way to enable fire one shot, two shots or the whole ammunitions in the magazine in one go of pulling the trigger.
It has been reported that DGP Y Joykumar has been trying his level best to equip the Manipur police Commandos with MP5A3 submachine guns for the last couple of years.
Over and above the already sanctioned 300 MP5A3 submachine guns, an additional 300 guns are in the process of being obtained for the State Police Department.
The funds for buying these guns are provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India under its police modernization programme.
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