It will be a historic moment for independent India when heads of states of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN countries line up as guests of honor at Rajpath to mark the group’s 25 years of ties with India.
Though it is a diplomatic coup of sorts, security is the biggest worry for Indian agencies. Threat perception is at all time high and the dignitaries along with their teams will be on 24/7 watch. The dignitaries will not only require a constant watch and protection at the airport and venues they will be staying or visiting but strictly during the drive on 26th January morning when they go first to meet the Indian President at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and then proceed to the venue – Rajpath – where the Indian Prime Minister will receive them.
The 10 ASEAN countries include, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.
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The stage – enclosed by bullet-proof glass, will be 100 feet wide – three times bigger than last year.
After a threat issued by the Pakistani terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), anti-sabotage checks are in action by the security agencies. The agencies have been alerted to a possible use of a China-made improvised explosive device by JeM.
The guests are likely to be staying at different venues around the center of the city including, Taj Palace, Taj Mansingh, Maurya Sheraton, The Leela Palace and The Oberoi.
The convoy of each leader is expected to have about nine luxury cars. The security agencies will have to match their timings to ensure that they arrive at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the parade venue on time. Drills are being conducted every morning to ensure that there are no last minute glitches and the drivers are being briefed.
Each guest will arrive within a gap of just one minute from each other accompanied by their spouses. As per protocol, the first to arrive would be the Sultan of Brunei and the last in would be the king of Thailand.
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It’s not just about organizing the cavalcades but, maintaining precision timings to maintain all the protocols.
Since threat perception is pretty high, all rooftops along the routes have been checked and sanitized. Commandos have been stationed on rooftops to ensure that no one can access them to target the cavalcades.
The arrival of the leaders on the 24th is also being take care of by the security team as will be the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit that will take place on the 25th to mark 25 years of the bloc’s tie with India.
No flights will take-off or land at the Indira Gandhi International airport between 10.15 am and 12.35 pm between January 18 and 26.