10,000 men, air defence to secure Modi's swearing-in

An 'impregnable' air defence system in the sky and about 10,000 security personnel on the ground will guard heads of state and government and some 3,000 dignitaries attending Narendra Modi's swearing in as the prime minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan here Monday.

President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi at a ceremony Monday evening when besides special inviteee, foreign dignitaries and diplomats are expected to be present.

The 10,000 security personnel who will cover a two-km periphery around the presidential palace will be drawn from Delhi Police, paramilitary forces, the National Security Guard (NSG), Special Protection Group and armed forces, Delhi Police Joint Commissioner M.K. Meena said Sunday.

Paramilitary commandos and police sharpshooters will be deployed as part of a four-layered security blanket, with Delhi Police handling the outer layer, Meena said.

He said prohibitory orders banning any assembly of five or more people have been imposed around Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi district in the heart of the capital.

The orders will be in place till Tuesday, he said.

Delhi Police will be in charge of security of the hotels where the visiting dignitaries, including from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will be staying, as well as along their travel routes.

All major five-star hotels - including Taj Mansingh, ITC Maurya, Taj Palace, Oberoi, The Leela Palace - where the heads of state or government are to stay have also been kept under multi-layered security and vigil.

Delhi Police said a security ring will be thrown around Raisina Hill on which Rashtrapati Bhavan stands.

All offices around it will be shut down five hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony slated for 6 p.m. Monday in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will put in place a defence system, including air surveillance, to secure the skies.

Snipers, including NSG sharpshooters with telescopic guns, will be deployed atop all high-rise buildings around the area.

All roads leading to Raisina Hill will be barricaded, while mobile security teams will patrol the area.

Paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos would also be deployed to secure the area. Dog squads and bomb disposal squads will sanitise the venue in advance.

The dignitaries who would be present are Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Bangladesh will be represented by Parliament Speaker Shirin Chaudhury while Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam will also be present.

The security agencies are on high alert especially in the wake of the terror attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Herat province Friday.