by N.D. JAYAPRAKASH
It is difficult not to conclude that there was, indeed, a deep conspiracy to malign the farmers’ movement.
For several years now, a few days prior to Republic Day, a state of “high alert” regarding security threats is invariably declared over the entire city of Delhi. This year too, a “high alert” was proclaimed on January 17, 2021 by the Delhi Police through a circular. According to the above ABP News Bureau report:
“Delhi Police is on high alert regarding the farmer protesters sitting at the borders. Ahead of Republic Day celebration, Delhi Police has posted posters of Khalistan terrorists in all the crowded areas, which they are looking for. The police suspect that these terrorist organizations can carry out a big conspiracy.” (Circulars issued by the Delhi Police in January 2021 are inaccessible; they have not been uploaded on its web portal.)
Yet, despite such a state of “high alert”, Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and his companions easily managed to barge into the Red Fort premises through its main entrance on Republic Day! When the Delhi Police had sounded an alarm about likely terrorist threats that Delhi could face ahead of the Republic Day, how and why was a key national monument like the Red Fort so easy to access on January 26, 2021?
It is a known fact that the Red Fort has been a target of terrorist attacks on several occasions in the past:
- On December 22, 2000, one such attack resulted in the deaths of two security guards and a civilian.
- On October 12, 2016, it faced another terrorist threat.
- In February and May 2017, explosives were recovered from wells within its premises.
Therefore, the question of downgrading security requirements for guarding Red Fort could not have been entertained. On the contrary, as per even the controversial MoU signed with Dalmia Bharat Limited on April 13, 2018, regarding the maintenance of the heritage site, its security was to be upgraded by installing “[a]dvanced surveillance systems (Like PTZ based CCTV cameras”.
The Wire for more