Blame it on the deteriorating law and order situation in recent months or merely a show of strength during the upcoming Assembly polls, several politicians have queued up at private manufacturers to convert their SUVs and other vehicles into bulletproof ones.

The men in khadi have also shown their keen interest in purchase of bulletproof jackets, which are in great demand for obvious reasons. The state, which is set to witness Assembly polls later this year, is bereft of both the facilities.

Balvinder Singh Sekhon, chief executive officer-cum-managing director of Meerut-based private manufacturing company Bulletproof Systems Limited, said: "Every month, the company is getting orders for conversion of 90-100 SUVs and other vehicles into bulletproof ones across the country. Most of them are from poll-bound Bihar."

The conversion work usually involved fitting 40mm thick bulletproof glass and 6mm thick bulletproof steel plates to ensure the occupants can be protected from bullets fired with AK-47 and light machine guns.

Sekhon added that the orders had been received from Patna, Siwan, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur and Purnea districts. "It takes a little over two months to convert a simple vehicle into a bulletproof one," he said, adding that over a dozen orders have come from the state in the past two weeks alone (in June).

Former Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj recalled that he had recovered a bulletproof vehicle from a notorious gangster in Patna.

"As per my knowledge, one has to take permission from the government for the use of a bulletproof vehicle," he said, adding that there was no ban on the purchase of bulletproof jackets.

While a few politicians have approached the Meerut firm, others have sought the help of the companies at Jalandhar (Punjab) and Jaipur (Rajasthan).

"I have booked the order for converting my Scorpio into a bulletproof one from a Jaipur-based company," said a former MLA of Muzaffarpur, who had survived criminal attack twice.

A senior official of Jeet & Jeet Glasses and Chemicals Private Ltd, Jaipur, said charges ranged from Rs 15 to Rs 24 lakh per vehicle, depending upon the level of armour chosen.