Delhi on high alert as 25,000 security personnel guard Red Fort for August 15

Delhi has placed the Red Fort and key city zones under extensive Independence Day security cover. The arrangements reflect heightened caution after last year's incidents and the need for rapid response.

In Short

• PM Modi will unfurl the national flag at Red Fort
• Live camera feeds monitored from a dedicated control room
• Multiple screening layers and entry checks are active around venue

Delhi is on high alert for Independence Day celebrations, with more than 25,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the city and a multi-layered security grid in place around the Red Fort, a senior police officer said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the national flag and address the nation from the historic fort.

Police said over 1,000 CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside the Red Fort, and these are linked to systems with artificial intelligence-based video analytics. Live feeds are being monitored from a dedicated control room as part of the arrangements to maintain law and order and deal with any possible threat or emergency.

"We have elaborate security arrangements, keeping in mind the incidents witnessed in the capital last year," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia told PTI. He said the security plan includes multiple layers of checking and screening at entry points and around the Red Fort, along with a dedicated anti-terror response mechanism.

According to the officer, personnel have been deployed at strategic locations across the city, including the Red Fort and other sensitive areas. "Advance liaison, mock drills and advance intimation have been carried out so that all agencies are prepared and there is a coordinated response in case of any emergency," Banthia said.

He said the surveillance system would help security personnel detect suspicious activity, crowd-related issues and other law and order situations in real time, allowing response teams to act immediately. "If a law and order situation emerges, we will respond immediately. Response teams are ready and deployed at strategic locations," Banthia said.

Security personnel are also regulating the movement of people and vehicles in the vicinity of the Red Fort, while checking and screening are being carried out to ensure that visitors and invitees face minimum inconvenience.

Police and specialised response teams are maintaining heightened surveillance at vital installations, public places, markets, transport hubs and other sensitive locations across the city, with agencies sharing inputs and carrying out coordination exercises for a swift response to any emerging threat.

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