UPDATE: Delhi turned into fortress for PM's I-Day speech

August 15, 2017 07:36

The national capital, including the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address the nation on the 71st Independence Day, has been put under an unprecedented ground-to-air security cover.

Close to 70,000 Delhi Police personnel are guarding the national capital owing to the twin occasions of the Independence Day and Janmashtami festival, a senior police officer said.

Thousands of security personnel, including 9,100 personnel from the Delhi Police, have been deployed in and around the historic Mughal fort which will see the presence of senior ministers, top bureaucrats, foreign dignitaries and common people during the PM's address.

Two dozen Parakram Vans manned by quick reaction teams of NSG-trained commandos have been stationed in areas with high footfall to thwart any attempt by terror groups to disrupt peace. As many as 11 such vans have been deployed in the area around the Red Fort.

At Red Fort, a special team of NSG snipers and commandos will form the inner layers of the security cordon while anti-aircraft guns have been deployed to thwart any aerial intrusion by objects like drones and projectiles, senior police officials said.

Over 60 sniffer dogs of paramilitary forces and Delhi Police are also part of the extensive security deployment.

According to a statement by the Delhi Metro rail Corporation, train services will run as usual. However, stations like Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Delhi Gate and ITO will have restricted entry and exit during the ceremony owing to security considerations.

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