Fortress Delhi: 15,000 Police Personnel, 200 Paramilitary Companies Mobilised for BRICS Summit

Delhi is tightening its security grid ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel and nearly 200 companies of paramilitary forces mobilised to protect visiting leaders and delegations.

Scheduled for September 12–13 at Bharat Mandapam, the summit will be held under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Security arrangements span the airport, hotels housing dignitaries, the summit venue and locations where scheduled or unscheduled meetings could take place.

The operation combines access checks, verification, surveillance, intelligence gathering and emergency response. Specialised cameras have been installed for security along travel routes and traffic enforcement, while evacuation arrangements have been prepared for emergencies.

Special Commissioner of Police (Protective/Security Division) Manish Kumar Agrawal said the arrangements followed extensive surveys of routes and locations, alongside coordination with government departments and security agencies.

“We have made elaborate bandobast by ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public. We have also issued advance advisories regarding traffic arrangements,” he said.

Delhi Police has coordinated with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, National Security Guard, Intelligence Bureau and Central Armed Police Forces. The planning covers security, traffic management and law and order across locations linked to the summit.

“We have coordinated with all these agencies and also carried out extensive surveys of the routes to make the necessary arrangements and ensure that there is no disruption or security lapse,” Agrawal said.

The security exercise also extends beyond Delhi. Police have held coordination meetings with neighbouring states and are maintaining contact over intelligence inputs, border security and the movement of personnel and material.

Agrawal said intelligence gathering and preventive policing were receiving particular attention. “Whatever actionable intelligence inputs are being received, we are taking appropriate action on them,” he said.

For residents, temporary traffic restrictions will depend on the timing and location of VVIP movements. Police have issued advance advisories and urged commuters to consult them before travelling through affected areas.

“Restrictions have been imposed according to the time, day and date of the VVIP events. I would request Delhi residents, through you, to read the advisories and follow the temporary restrictions,” Agrawal said.

On the ground, personnel have been deployed across different sectors of New Delhi, mock drills have been conducted and CCTV networks are under continuous monitoring, according to DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma.

“Our technical equipment has been installed so that any threat can be detected. We are ensuring that the public does not face any kind of inconvenience,” Sharma said.

Agrawal pointed to Delhi Police’s experience in managing the G20 Summit, International Solar Alliance programmes and other major events, saying the objective was to deliver maximum security while keeping disruption to a minimum.

With inputs from ANI