BackSecurity stepped up for Republic Day
More than 62,000 personnel have been deployed by Delhi Police, paramilitary forcesthe BSF and the Central Reserve Police Forceand the NSG
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New Delhi: Personnel from Delhi Police, snipers from the central paramilitary forces and the National Security Guard (NSG) threw a security blanket around the national capital and other sensitive areas ahead of Republic Day celebrations on Thursday.
In Delhi alone, more than 62,000 personnel have been deployed by Delhi Police, paramilitary forces—the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)—and the NSG.
“Nearly 300 buildings have been identified in central Delhi where snipers will be placed and pickets have been set up in the vicinity to keep track of any suspicious activity," said a senior Delhi Police official, on condition of anonymity. “The security is absolutely air tight and we are monitoring any odd movements," the Delhi Police official added.
However, it is Jammu and Kashmir that forces are more worried about.
Last year, in August, a CRPF commandant was killed and eight others were injured in a terrorist attack in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area just two hours before the Independence Day parade was scheduled to start.
“We are not leaving anything to chance. Security has been stepped up across all sensitive regions. In Kashmir, we are taking extra care after last year’s episode," said CRPF spokesperson Rajiv Kumar.
The CRPF has also stepped up vigil in the Maoist-affected areas of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
While separatists have called for a strike in Kashmir on 26 January, the CRPF said that they are acting on inputs they have been receiving about militant activity in the Valley as well as in the surrounding areas of north and south Kashmir. At the same time, security has been beefed up by the CRPF at the venue of the Republic Day parade in Kashmir.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has also heightened security measures across all airports, with sensitive airports such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata being watched closely.
“We are being very cautious and so far passengers have also been very cooperative with us," a CISF spokesperson said.
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