In view of the “Delhi Chalo” march by farmers, security arrangements have been made in bordering areas with multiple layers of security. Despite these measures, the police have procured 30,000 tear gas shells from the BSF’s Tear Smoke Unit in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, to prevent farmers from entering the capital. Meanwhile, observing the farmers’ protest, holidays for Delhi police personnel have been canceled. The police have clarified that they are fully prepared to restrain the demonstrators. Not only that, but razor wire has been installed above the barriers, making it difficult for protesters to cross. The number of barricades has increased at all borders, along with a higher deployment of security personnel. CCTV cameras were already installed at all borders, and now their numbers have been further increased. According to information, Delhi Police has set up two mobile control rooms in two buses, placed at different locations. The exact locations of the buses have been kept confidential by the police. This has been done to prevent the disruption of their communication services in case the control room is hacked. In specific situations, the police can efficiently utilize the mobile control rooms to maintain their communication services. Delhi Police initially had one such bus, and before the G-20 summit, they acquired two more buses. The special feature of these buses is that, in emergency situations, more than 40 officers can conduct meetings simultaneously. They can discuss strategies confidentially on significant issues.
The police official stated that if farmers attempt to forcibly enter Delhi after reaching the city’s borders, they will be promptly detained. Three holding centers have also been set up in different areas of Delhi to accommodate them. The police have deployed over 2,000 personnel, including CRPF and Rapid Action Force troops, at the Singhu border, which links Sonipat to Delhi. They have also strengthened the barricades with sandbags and barbed wires and dug up the roads and lanes to stop the protesters. The NHAI boards that welcomed commuters to Delhi were also taken down.
At the Tikri border, which connects Delhi to Bahadurgarh in Haryana, the police have stationed five to seven companies of paramilitary forces and around 200 Delhi Police personnel near concrete blocks and barricades. They have also set up speakers and six new CCTVs on steel panels to monitor the protesters. Frequent announcements are being made on the speakers to inform the personnel, which are linked to the central microphone system. The Commissioner of Delhi Police, Sanjay Arora, visited all the borders to check the security arrangements. Similarly, at the Delhi-Gurugram border, a three-layer security arrangement has been made by the Delhi Police.
Although the situation at the Gurugram-Delhi border is normal and farmers are not expected to take this route, these security arrangements have been made as a precautionary measure. The personnel in riot gear also conducted mock drills and were instructed to keep their riot control equipment ready and undamaged. Out of the total deployment, three companies each of women personnel from Delhi and paramilitary forces were present. In Ghaziabad, Delhi Police have blocked the farmers’ entry by placing barricades and heavy vehicles such as trucks and cranes on a 100-meter stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghazipur. They have also completely sealed the service lanes adjacent to the motorway, towards Delhi, and diverted the traffic to other routes. Similarly, in Noida, the police have sealed different borders, and traffic will be rerouted in case the farmers march towards Delhi.