Security blanket tightens for Republic Day

New Delhi, Jan 18: In view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations, an interstate coordination meeting was held on Thursday at Delhi Police Headquarters with senior police officers and security agencies, an official said.

Delhi Police Commissioner, Sanjay Arora chaired the meeting which was attended by the top cops of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir, along with senior officers of NIA, NCB, IB and NATGRID.

The Delhi Police spokesperson said that the officers shared Intelligence related to terror inputs and the anti-terror measures in place including border checks, verification of suspicious elements, etc.

“Issues related to the movement of paragliders, drones, UAVs and other flying objects were discussed. Advance information about the movement of any suspicious elements/vehicles was stressed upon. Interstate gangs operating in the NCR and incidents related to supply of illegal firearms and narcotics were also discussed,” said the spokesperson.

“Traffic restrictions during Republic Day celebrations and steps to check unauthorised intrusion at borders have been planned and officers of other states were requested to cooperate for ensuring the effective implementation of the same,” said the official.

During the meeting, Arora said, “A drive should be launched to trace and verify the criminals released from jail. All the criminals with a terrorist/radical background need to be closely monitored. Preventing the smuggling of firearms remains a priority area.”

He stressed on the need for quick sharing of information, so that speedy action could be taken in time.

Arora appreciated the cooperation extended by the police of neighbouring states and highlighted the need to be more alert towards preventing any rogue elements disturbing Republic Day celebrations.