New Delhi: Delhi Police is bracing itself for a "long window" of heightened vigil with visits of high profile foreign leaders, terror threat to the national capital and a possible Assembly election all set to keep it on its toes till February next year.
This period is going to be probably the longest when the agency will have to maintain a heightened vigil and the force has already started to prepare for it with leaves of personnel being cancelled and high-level meetings being held in the Police Headquarters almost everyday.
In a review meeting with senior police officials on Friday evening, the Delhi Police Commissioner is learnt to have told his colleagues to brace themselves "as this is going to be a long window".
"There was an intelligence input about the possibility of a terror strike in a north Indian city on Friday. It is possible that the attacks in J-K could be what the input was about but we were on our toes on December 6 also, the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, and the alert is still there," said a senior police official.
Police is already maintaining a vigil in sensitive areas after communal clashes in Trilokpuri. The force came under added pressure after a church was gutted in a mysterious fire in Northeast Delhi following which security was stepped up at all places of worship of Christians in the city.
"These security arrangements are going to be there keeping in mind that Christmas and New Year is round the corner. Parliament is already in session and we have the Russian President Vladimir Putin coming on December 10.
"Once these things get over, we have the mother of all. US President Barack Obama will be coming to India. The presence of Obama, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with a host of dignitaries at the Republic Day parade is going to be a never-before high-stakes event for us," said a senior police official.
All these events would be followed by Delhi Assembly elections which may be held around February during which Delhi Police will have multiple responsibilities of ensuring that the Model Code of Conduct is not breached and secure public meetings by political leaders.
