U.S. security agencies eased into the driver’s seat as soon as Air Force One touched down at the Palam airport here on Sunday morning and are understood to have been pleasantly surprised at having a particular contingent of veteran Delhi Police commandos, somewhat similar to their historical Ranger and Marine Corps, reconnaissance battalions back home, at their disposal.
The Indian intelligence establishment handed over exclusive charge of the first layer of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle’s security to their American counterparts as soon as they stepped on Indian soil a little before 10 a.m.
A successive protective layer of the First Couple is being jointly handled by officials of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) followed by another layer composed of Indian intelligence officials and paramilitary personnel and finally the Delhi Police.
On Sunday, according to a source, it was jointly decided by Indian and U.S. agencies to ensure “near-zero public presence” in and around Central and South Delhi which was, according to a source, successfully achieved.
This was done thanks to a sustained public campaign that aimed at sensitising people to avoiding areas falling in both police districts for their convenience. Monday, however, would be a different story altogether.
As many as 50,000 personnel will be deployed in the vicinity of Rajpath beginning late on Sunday night, hundreds of sealed manholes, drains and other “visible cavities” would be double-checked, cameras installed in batches of four each at elevated spots on prominent junctions from ITO to National Highway-8 would be retested for the big day and a no-fly zone would be extended to a radius of 400 km around the capital.
“The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), which is handled by the Indian Air Force (IAC), will be used to ensure that Mr. Obama’s 100-minute-long public exposure doesn’t translate into a security contingency,” said a police officer.
Meanwhile, a contingent of 1,000 veteran Delhi Police commandos, who were retrained in Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) at an NSG facility in Manesar, Haryana, with their main assignment consisting of thwarting possible pan-Delhi terror strikes such as Mumbai’s 26/11 have been put under direct U.S. command. Though they compose one-third of the entire SWAT contingent, they are understood to have particularly caught the Secret Service’s fancy.
“This contingent was specially created for the event,” said a police officer. “We culled 1,000 personnel, who had been transferred out of our commando division to other police units past the age of 30 given the cut-off age, for it.”
A source said the police were appreciated for the initiative. “Our counterparts from the U.S. said the unit was similar to the 75 Ranger Regiment which has its origins in the Vietnam War and the Marine Division Recon both of which are highly regarded there,” said an intelligence official.
> OBAMA'S VISIT TO INDIA
- › DAY 1: JANUARY 25, 2015
- › Arrival in the morning and Rashtrapathi Bhavan Ceremonial
- › Rashtrapathi Bhavan Ceremonial
- › Homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat
- › Bilateral discussions with PM Narendra Modi, followed by a luncheon
- › Meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee
- › Banquet hosted by the President
- › DAY 2: JANUARY 26, 2015:
- › Republic Day function and Rashtrapathi Bhavan Ceremonial
- › 'At home' with Pranab Mukherjeeand a round table with CEOs
- › DAY 3: JANUARY 27, 2015:
- › To address a select gathering
- › Leaves for Saudi Arabia