Delhi on I-Day: Under the shadow of arms

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Delhi turned into a virtual fortress today as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh delivered his third successive Independence Day address to the nation with 500 sharp-shooters and 10,000 security personnel manning the historic Red Fort area alone.

Barricades and pickets, PCR vans and Omni motorcycles, policemen and CISF personnel made 'Lal Qila' a sea of khakhi pants instead of an ocean of humanity as the area generally resembles during national festivities.

At the Red Fort, commandos from the Delhi Police, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Security Guard (NSG) -- specially sensitised on 'new threat perceptions' and trained to handle 'terror contingencies' -- manned the place and its periphery, even as the air space in and around the area remained a no-fly zone from early morning to the conclusion of the function at 0930 hrs.

There was little room for any 'unwarranted person' to make way to the 'VIP zone' where the I-Day function was being held, but among the iron-clad 'cover', what was lost was the innocence of old Delhi charm - where children, clipped to their mother's fingers, would go to watch the thousand-odd tri-colour balloons, pigeons and the chorus of children singing the national anthem.

Delhi Police's prime concern of 'explosives, car bombs, fidayeens' trying to make a bid at VIPs and vital installations fortunately did not come out true, sending a collective sigh of relief.

Police officials conceded that despite their best efforts, the 'fear' was there. ''Its heartening to learn that the main function passed off peacefully.'' ''Even our contingency plans had their own limitations and the event passing off 'incident-free' was nothing short of a miracle going by the frenzy 'threat perceptions' had created in the preparatory days,'' one official said.

''Thanks to the deft monitoring of the border areas, we did not have anything negative to hear,'' said a senior police official. ''I think that played a pivotal role in the entire affair.'' The Special Cell and the local police teams were keeping a strict watch on the borders through anti-sabotage and anti-explosive checks.

Metro security was also in a 'geared-up' state with frisking and individual checking being thorough and elaborate. Bags, suitcases, boxes and many other things were being allowed which made people feel relieved.

As part of the beefing up of its security, an additional 3,500 personnel had been deployed at various Metro stations along with metal detectors, X-ray machines and security cameras.

Policemen stood guard at most crossings, important buildings, vital installations, temples and landmarks.

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