Security has been beefed up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega rally at Delhi's iconic Ramlila Maidan on Sunday (December 22). The rally is significant because it is happening at a time when protests are raging in several parts of the country, including Delhi, over the Citizenship Amendment Act.
PM Modi is scheduled to address the rally around 11.30 am and it is expected that he would raise the issue of CAA in his speech and try to once again assure the Muslims of the country that the new legislation will not harm them and it has not been introduced to take anyone's citizenship away. According to BJP sources, around two lakh people from different parts of India are going to attend the prime minister's rally.
Sources said that senior security officials held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the security arrangements. The security has been increased on border areas in order to stop anti-social elements from entering the capital and disrupt the rally.
On Friday (December 20), Zee Media had reported that Pakistan-based terror groups may be conspiring to target PM Modi's rally in New Delhi. An intelligence input on Friday suggested that Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was planning to target the venue to launch an attack during the rally.
In the wake of the terror threat, Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Delhi Police have been informed for tight security arrangements. Both the SPG and Delhi Police are responsible for the security at the Ramlila Maidan. The Prime Minister along with BJP Chief Ministers and cabinet ministers will be present at the rally.
The intelligence agencies have directed the security forces to fully implement instruction contained in a Blue Book for PM Modi's protection while making the security arrangements for the visits. "The guidelines contained in Chapter 10 of the Blue Book titled 'Security Arrangements in a Democratic Polity' may be followed so as to avoid harsh and impractical measures," the agencies stated.
They also flagged: "The recent enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (December 12), the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict (November 9) and abrogation of Article 370 (August 5), besides pre-emptive air strikes on non-military targets inside Pakistan by Indian Air Force have added fresh dimensions to the threat scenario."
