A squad of sniffer dogs has been deployed by central security agencies to sanitise tomorrow's Independence day venues like the Red Fort and the Rajghat.
The maximum number of the specially-trained canines, about a dozen, are being provided by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) whose dogs will be used to conduct anti-sabotage activities at the Red Fort, Chandni chowk area, the Rajghat and India Gate where the dignitaries led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay their respects.
The other dog squads that are called in for this special task belong to the Delhi Police and the Border Security Force who have pressed close to 25 dogs for this event.
"All the dogs have been doing the task for the last few days. They would be on duty till the Independence day celebrations conclude on August 15," a senior official said.
The dogs, along with their handlers, have been brought to the national capital from their training centres in other parts of the country, the official said.
ITBP, the paramilitary force entrusted with the security of the border with China, is credited with being a 'centre of excellence' for training of combat, police and paramilitary dogs and its 'K9' squad was recently called in for similar tasks during the swearing-in ceremony of Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26.
The dog squads that have been deployed for Independence day celebrations comprise trained Labradors and German Shepherds.
ITBP is credited with having successfully introduced the first-ever breed of 'Malinois' dogs to assist troops during patrolling in Naxalite-affected areas.
The force trains its dogs at its special and exclusive 'K9' centre at Bhanu in Chandigarh.
