You may not get a glimpse of flame | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

You may not get a glimpse of flame

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Apr 11, 2008 01:34 AM IST

There are clear hints that the common man might not get a glimpse of the flame during the 45-minute run, but their children just might get the chance, reports Aloke Tikku.

As Indian and Chinese officials sat across the table to firm up security details of the relay Olympic torch down Rajpath, there were clear hints that the common man might not get a glimpse of the flame during the 45-minute run but their children just might.

HT Image
HT Image

India is keen to line up Rajpath with thousands of school children to cheer the relay torchbearers as they jog down from Rashtrapati Bhavan gate — President Pratibha Devisingh Patil would be out of the country on her first state visit — to India Gate.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Officials said the 3.5-km run could take about 45 minutes, right from the time Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna flags off the torch on the evening of April 17 and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit receives it.

Chinese commandos from Beijing's Special Police Force — members of the Olympic Holy Flame Protection Unit designated as flame attendants — would form the first cordon around the torchbearer, Indians the second.

Commandos of the National Security Guard would constitute the second cordon. Besides these commandos, there are expected to be nearly 6,000 policemen — in uniform and in plainclothes — deployed along the stretch.

“An impregnable security cordon would be thrown around Rajpath, with very strict restrictions for entering the lawns of Rajpath,” a security official said, conceding that the aam aadmi could get left out.

But school students might manage to make it to the venue. At a preliminary meeting held with Indian security experts on Thursday evening, a team of visiting Chinese officials is understood to have expressed reservations at allowing people — even school students — and media other than government media too close to the venue.

Indian security officials have, however, not given in so far to the Chinese insistence and would make another attempt to convince the Advance Security Liaison team from Beijing next week. A dry run of the relay would also be carried out subsequently.

Security officials, however, point that though they can create a firewall that would make it impossible for anyone to come anywhere close to the venue, their biggest worries were about protests and demonstrations that could draw international attention in the vicinity. Thousands of policemen would be deployed in the New Delhi district on April 17, said a government official.

But he conceded that it would be virtually impossible to police the entire district. After all, the Tibetans are not terrorists but just protesters. All that they need to do is to get into a high-rise building and unfurl the flag and a banner. Connaught Place is expected to be a focus area for the protesters as well as the police, the official said.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Aloke Tikku has covered internal security, transparency and politics for Hindustan Times. He has a keen interest in legal affairs and dabbles in data journalism.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On