Indian polls: Demand soars for armoured cars
Politics can be a dangerous game in India. In the past, prime ministers were assassinated, political motorcades ambushed and party officials attacked, and some candidates aren't taking any chances. Orders for specialised armoured cars have been piling up in Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra ahead of world's biggest election. It was not just political candidates keen to bullet and blast-proof their cars but party bookkeepers and backroom heavyweights too, the local companies refitting the bullet-proof amenities to the cars told AFP. The market for such cars in India is worth $150 million a year and growing by double digits, industry representatives said. Companies like Mahindra & Mahindra, and Tata Motors, also offer a small range of pre-made armoured vehicles for civilian use. For an armoured-plated vehicle, it cost anywhere between $7,000 and $70,000 and it can take weeks. And getting permission from authorities takes longer time. More than 100 politicians or party officials were murdered in 2016 alone, the latest figures from India's National Crime Records Bureau show.
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