Over 50 paramilitary units to be deployed in Delhi for R-Day, elections

More than 50 companies of paramilitary forces and over 5,000 police personnel will be deployed across Delhi ahead of Republic Day celebrations and the upcoming Assembly polls, an official said on Thursday.

Delhi Police on Wednesday held an inter-state coordination meeting with various law enforcement agencies to discuss security arrangements in the national capital.

The meeting was chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and was attended by senior police officers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

"During the meeting, the senior police officers of the Delhi Police have demanded more than 50 paramilitary companies and cyber specialised officers to keep a strict vigil on any situation," a source in the police said.

 

During the coordination meeting, the officers exchanged inputs and intelligence related to various matters and it was resolved to strengthen the anti-terror measures, including border checking, verifications of suspicious elements etc., police said.

Arora exhorted all concerned to extensively utilise human and technical intelligence for keeping watch on suspicious elements and anticipate in advance any subversive activities to thwart any evil designs.

Advance information about the movement of any suspicious elements or vehicles was also stressed. Inter-state gangs operating in the NCR and instances of supply of illegal firearms, illicit liquor, cash, narcotics etc. were also discussed.

Coordination for traffic regulation during the Republic Day celebrations was formulated, said Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastava.

According to police sources, all district DCPs and senior officials were briefed about the preparations. DCPs of each district have been instructed to deploy additional paramilitary companies in their respective sensitive and hypersensitive areas and polling booths.

"So far the teams on the ground have identified more than 3,000 sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths and areas," another senior police officer said.

"Additional police forces will also be deployed to prevent incidents such as illegal alcohol, cash distribution, and the smuggling of weapons during the elections. Teams have already activated their local sources to curb any potential violence or misuse of arms during Republic Day and the electoral process," he said. The Special Cell and Crime Branch teams are closely monitoring the activities of arms suppliers.

The officer further said that high-level security preparations for Republic Day have already commenced in New Delhi. Security drills involving Delhi Police and other agencies are underway to ensure no disruptions occur.

"Around 4,000 rooftop security points have been identified in areas like New Delhi, North, and Central districts. Attendees of the event will be provided security stickers, and about 500 high-resolution Artificial-Intelligence-enabled cameras, including FRS (Facial Recognition System) cameras, are being installed along the parade route and nearby areas," said the officer.