Unprecedented security arrangements for the 66th Republic Day celebrations marked the variegated cultural display with President Barack Obama as chief guest. A seven-layer security ring was put in place around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath from where President Obama, President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other dignitaries witnessed the grand parade.
New Delhi resembled a virtual fortress with nearly 40,000 personnel drawn from Delhi Police and Central paramilitary forces guarding every nook and cranny of the area. More than 15,000 CCTV cameras were installed to relay every movement live to a central control room where the footage was being monitored by a joint team of Delhi Police, US Secret Services and sleuths of Central security agencies.
The three-km stretch of Rajpath had over 160 CCTV cameras — with one camera installed every 18 metres. Delhi Police had installed around 80 face recognition cameras around the venue of Republic Day celebrations and at the city’s entry points to identify any subversive or criminal elements. Snipers and spotters of the National Security Guard (NSG) and Delhi Police were strategically deployed on all nearby highrises overlooking Rajpath while a dedicated radar monitored the air space. Anti-aircraft guns were on standby to shoot down any aerial intrusion.
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a NoTAM (Notice to Airmen) for diverting all flights flying over Delhi at the time of the parade. Earlier, planes flying above 32,000 feet did not fall in the category of no-fly zone, but the height was raised to 35,000 feet, sources said. A DGCR order meant that within a radius of 400 km of Rajpath, all airports such as Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and as far as lucknow or Amritsar were barred from operating flights till the parade was on at Rajpath.
It was for the first time, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) maintained vigil from the skies during the parade. Both carriageways of Sardar Patel Marg, next to ITC Maurya where the Obamas are staying, were completely shut for normal traffic. Snipers of Delhi Police and National Security Guards were deployed at all highrises near the hotel. Police personnel will be deployed near the green ridge opposite the hotel till the US President leaves the Capital on January 27.
Security agencies had also sanitised 71 buildings in close proximity of Rajpath, which is the Republic Day parade route. Security personnel were deployed on rooftops. The 80,000-strong Delhi Police force assisted by another 20,000 drawn from paramilitary forces and State armed police were on vigil for the last few days.