The Indian Army has added to its arsenal a new tool in the fight against terrorists and insurgents: the red hot chili grenade.
- Bhut Jolokia chili
These grenades are armed with a compound from the world’s hottest chili, the bhut jolokia whose 1,001,304 Scoville heat units (the scientific measure for a chili’s spiciness) far surpass that of the typical jalopeno, which measures a mere 10,000 units. Tauted as a non toxic weapon, it never the less blinds and chokes much like tear gas. The idea of course is to immobilize an enemy without severely wounding or killing them. R. B. Srivastava, the lead scientist who helped research and develop the weapon at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization believes that its pungent smell can choke and gag terrorists and force them out of hiding.
