Fortress Capital: 30,000 guards, separate hotels and sealed convoys for Xi, Putin and Pezeshkian

The national capital has been transformed into a tightly controlled security fortress ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with nearly 30,000 personnel deployed across airports, hotels and the sprawling Bharat Mandapam complex as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian prepare to arrive. Security teams from China and Russia are already on the ground.

In the luxury hotels located in Chanakyapuri, where the leaders will be lodging, security teams have been placed and armed with specialised equipment and weapons. Personnel are stationed on all floors, from the presidential suites to the roof levels and the ground floor. The routes for the convoys have been determined, traffic corridors have been closed off, and multiple layers of protection extend from Palam Air Force Station to the summit venue.

Putin is due to arrive on Friday, September 11, and Xi on Saturday, September 12; both will land at Palam and be taken under heavy escort to their respective hotels. Iranian President Pezeshkian will stay at a different hotel. Each leader has a separate security team assigned.

The Delhi Police Special Cell is providing security for President Xi. At Putin’s hotel, one additional deputy commissioner and two assistant commissioners are on rotating shifts. Half of the 30,000 personnel are from the Delhi Police, and the other half are from the paramilitary forces. The area is split into sectors, each headed by a senior officer to maintain control. The security plan includes anti-drone systems, rooftop surveillance, and secure routes, and officials say it is more comprehensive than the security arrangement at the 2023 G20 summit.

The two-day meeting of the leaders, held on September 12 and 13, takes place as the enlarged group of 11 members faces tension. Ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, strain on energy routes, and diverging member interests have tested BRICS unity. Since it is India's turn to act as chair with the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", it is attempting to reach an agreement on the New Delhi Declaration while the negotiators are working on the wording concerning the Middle East conflict.

President Xi's presence is particularly important, as this is his first visit to India in seven years and is seen as a careful step toward improving relations between New Delhi and Beijing. Putin is making his second visit in less than a year, and this is Pezeshkian's first trip as Iran's president. On Friday, Putin and Pezeshkian will hold bilateral talks before the formal summit programme begins. The opening session on Saturday afternoon will bring the heads of the BRICS member states together in private to discuss "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism."

They will later visit an exhibition of innovations, take a family photograph, plant trees, and attend a gala dinner hosted by Modi. After that, the leaders will visit the exhibition of innovations, take a group photo, plant trees, and attend a gala dinner hosted by Modi. On Sunday, partner countries and special guests will arrive before the declaration. Meanwhile, the city is under pressure, with main roads closed, hotels with no regular guests, and staff at key hotels subject to new police checks. Foreign security teams have already been rehearsing with Indian agencies.

Delhi residents can expect diverted traffic, more checkpoints, and a noticeable presence of khaki and camouflage troops around Chanakyapuri and Pragati Maidan. At the same time, the visiting leaders will find the same streets transformed into a meticulously organised route governed by steel and protocol.

India is relying on the display of unity, the fact that three of the world's most closely watched presidents are arriving under the same security arrangement yet staying in separate hotels, to convey an image of a developing and resilient Global South, even though the world's divisions will follow them into the conference hall. The real issue now is whether BRICS can turn this show of security and hospitality into something enduring.