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

Ahead of Republic Day celebrations and the upcoming Assembly elections, more than 50 paramilitary companies and over 5,000 police personnel will be deployed across Delhi, an official announced on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Delhi Police organized an inter-state coordination meeting with various law enforcement agencies to discuss the security arrangements for the national capital.

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

“During the meeting, senior officers from Delhi Police requested over 50 paramilitary companies and officers with expertise in cyber security to ensure vigilant monitoring of any situation,” a police source revealed.

The coordination meeting allowed officers to share information and intelligence on various matters, leading to a resolution to reinforce anti-terror measures, including checking borders, and verifying suspicious elements.

Arora urged all parties involved to fully utilize human and technical intelligence to monitor suspicious individuals and anticipate subversive activities in order to prevent any disruptive plans.

The meeting also emphasised the need for advance warnings regarding the movement of any suspicious people or vehicles. The coordination also covered inter-state gangs operating in the NCR and issues such as the supply of illegal firearms, illicit liquor, cash, and narcotics.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastava outlined the coordination plan for traffic regulation during Republic Day events.

According to police sources, all district DCPs and senior officials have been briefed on the preparations. DCPs in each district have been instructed to deploy additional paramilitary forces in sensitive and hypersensitive areas, including polling booths.

“Over 3,000 sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths and areas have already been identified by the teams on the ground,” stated a senior officer.

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“Extra police personnel will be deployed to prevent incidents such as the distribution of illegal alcohol, cash, and the smuggling of weapons during the elections. Local sources have been activated to curb potential violence or misuse of arms during Republic Day and the electoral process,” the officer added. The Special Cell and Crime Branch teams are closely monitoring arms suppliers.

High-level security measures for Republic Day have already begun in New Delhi, with security drills involving Delhi Police and other agencies in progress to ensure smooth operations.

“Around 4,000 rooftop security points have been identified in New Delhi, North, and Central districts. Event attendees will receive security stickers, and around 500 high-resolution AI-enabled cameras, including Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras, are being installed along the parade route and surrounding areas,” the officer confirmed.

(With inputs from PTI)