In the interest of national security, the army on Wednesday cautioned against unauthorised sale of outfits resembling its combat uniforms to the public, an official said.
The Northern Army Command, along with the police, have already carried out a chain of awareness campaigns in Udhampur city in order to dissuade sellers from trading unauthorised uniforms, he said.
The measure has been initiated as easy access to the Indian Army uniforms in open markets causes a potential threat to the security of military establishments and their personnel, public relations officer for the Northern Command said.
“Now, the Indian Army has chalked out plans to take tough action against the dealers who are selling unauthorised but almost similar looking pattern and fabric uniforms,” he added.
According to the officer, the army has applied to the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, and it is expecting to own the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) soon.
Once the IPR process is completed, the army will be able to take legal action and subsequently prosecute unauthorised shopkeepers selling combat fabric material.
With the unveiling of a new combat outfit in January, the Indian Army had established ownership on the pattern and design, he said.
Shopkeepers have shown a positive response and agreed to cooperate with the army, he added.–(PTI)