By IANS,
New Delhi : Hours ahead of Republic Day, a tight security cover will be in place across the capital with around 25,000 security personnel of Delhi Police and paramilitary forces keeping vigil, police said Friday.
Around 3,000 security personnel from Delhi Police, paramilitary forces and elite National Security Guards (NSG) will be deployed in central Delhi from midnight Jan 25, especially on the route from Vijay Chowk to the Red Fort – the route of the Jan 26 ceremonial parade, said a senior police officer.
“Around 22,000 police personnel will be present in and around the city to avert any untoward incident,” said the officer.
“A special team of around 1,000 snipers with sophisticated arms and binoculars will be deputed on rooftops from 5 a.m. Saturday,” the officer added.
Mobile teams, anti-aircraft guns and NSG sharpshooters will also be on hand at various places while paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos will keep a close watch along the parade route.
More than 60 quick reaction teams (QRT) will man the central and New Delhi areas since Jan 25 midnight while around 600 PCR teams, including in vans and on motorcycles, have been instructed to keep watch in and around the city whole night.
All entry points to the city have been barricaded with extensive checks on vehicles coming in from Ghaziabad, Noida and Gurgaon and surveillance on in sensitive areas. There is tight vigil at the airports, railway stations, Metro stations and bus depots.
A special police unit would also keep a visual tab over all activities along the parade route with the help of over 160 CCTVs installed between Rajpath and the Red Fort.
Intelligence agencies are keeping a track on activities and communication of terror suspects.
According to intelligence inputs, some groups that may try to create trouble during the parade have been identified and are being monitored.
“We have got some inputs. We will take strict action against the protestors if they try to enter Janpath or India Gate area on or before Jan 26,” a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, told IANS.
Anti-rape protests erupted in the national capital and elsewhere in the country after the 23-year-old physiotherapist trainee was gang-raped by six men on Dec 16 last year.
Traffic restrictions have been placed in the central Delhi area. No vehicle would be allowed to ply on Rajpath from 6 p.m. Jan 25 and vehicular movement will be restricted on Tilak Marg, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, and Netaji Subhash Marg up to the Red Fort from 4 a.m. Jan 26.
On Republic Day, services will be curtailed from 6 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at nine Metro stations — Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Mandi House, Udyog Bhavan, Race Course, Pragati Maidan, Barakhamba Road and Khan Market.
These Metro stations either fall on the path of the Republic Day Parade or are located close to it.
In addition, all Delhi Metro parking lots will remain closed from 2 p.m. Jan 25 to 2 p.m. Jan 26 for security reasons.