Mock drills test preparedness at Red Fort, crowded places in Delhi ahead of R-Day

Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, the Delhi Police today conducted mock drills at four crowded places, including near the iconic Red Fort, here to check the preparedness and response time of various agencies.

The drills were conducted across North District, including vital installations, historical places and prominent markets where a large people visit on a daily basis. These areas include Red Fort, ISBT Kashmere Gate, Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, and Sadar Bazar, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia.

In the first mock drill, a PCR call was received at 2:30 pm reporting a bomb blast near Hathi Gate, inside Red Fort. A message was flashed to all concerned agencies, including CATS, Delhi Fire Service, DDMA, Special Cell, Crime Team, dog squad, BDT and BDS.

Within minutes, a command post was set up at Netaji Subhash Marg, near Red Fort and access control was established within minutes. The incident site was cordoned off to avoid any further damage.

During the simulation, four injured persons were immediately rushed to the nearest hospital well in time and scene of crime was examined.

Another mock drill simulating a terror attack was conducted at Delhi University Metro Station Gate No. 4. A mock drill took place at the ISBT, Kashmere Gate, simulating a scene where terrorists equipped with firearms barged into the bus stand. A simulating a bomb blast was conducted at Khari Baoli, Lahori Gate.

All mock drill exercises were carried out smoothly and all stakeholders and agencies concerned responded well in time, Banthia mentioned.

Coordination meeting held

Ahead of the R-Day celebrations, the Delhi Police on Thursday held coordination meeting of various law enforcement agencies to strengthen cooperation and coordination on issues related to the security.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha chaired the meeting which was attended by senior police officers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, J&K, Chandigarh (UT), along with senior officers of central intelligence agencies and top cops of the Delhi Police.

During the meeting, officers shared intelligence inputs and anti-terror measures, including border checking and verification of suspicious elements among others.

Issues related to movement of paragliders, drones and other flying objects from the open areas were discussed.

Additionally, emphasis was also laid on interstate gangs operating in the NCR and incidents related to supply of illegal firearms.