On alert: Rajnath reviews security in Delhi ahead of Republic Day

New Delhi: Ahead of Republic Day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the security situation in the national capital with the Delhi Police chief and other senior officials of intelligence and security agencies.[caption id=“attachment_2580682” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. AFP[/caption] The country’s top leadership including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers, senior civil and defence officials will be among those attending the main function at the majestic Rajpath where French President Francois Hollande will be the chief guest. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi and other officials gave a detailed presentation to Singh about the ground-to-air security cover to be put in place in the national capital, official sources said. The city has already been put on a high alert after the Pathankot terror attack as there were intelligence inputs which suggested that at least two terrorists had entered Delhi. “Highest possible security cover will put in place in Delhi in the run up to Republic Day,” a source said. Days before the attack on Pathankot air base, Central security agencies had reported that a group of eight to 10 terrorists had crossed border from Pakistan. A similar report from Punjab government had said that at least 15 terrorists from Pakistan had breached the border. The sources said there may be a few terrorists who were waiting for an opportunity to strike. All steps are being taken to ensure foolproof security during the visit of Hollande, especially as Paris saw one of the worst terrorist attacks on 13 November, when 130 people were killed by seven gunmen, they said. Apart from deployment of forces on the ground, government will also ensure security in air by deploying anti-aircraft guns and declaring no-fly zone in many areas of Delhi. A total of 10,000 paramilitary personnel, in addition to 80,000 strong Delhi Police, will be on the job in the national capital to ensure greater security cover. The deployment of additional paramilitary forces in the national capital comes a week after the terrorist attack on Pathankot IAF base in which seven security personnel were killed. Top officials of Central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states, including Delhi, held a meeting with the home minister on Saturday and discussed steps to check the growing influence of IS among youngsters through social media and other sources. PTI