26 January 2021 on Red Fort

 

For several years now,a few days prior to republic day ,a start of “hingh alert” regarding securing security threats is invariably declared over the entire city of delhi .this years  too, a “high alert” was proclaimed on january 17 ,2021  by the delhi police through a circular.yet,despite such a state of “high alert” ,punjabi actor   deep sidhu and his companions easliy 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 accesson january 2021?

It is a know 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 2007 ,exolosives were recovered from wells within its premises.

Therefore ,thequestion of downgrading security requirment for  guaring red fort could not have been entertained.on the contray ,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 upgarding by installing “[a]dvanced survellance systems (like PTZ based CCTV cameras”.

In fact ,since independence ,the monument has ramained under the control of the heritage site to the archeological survey  of india (ASI)in 2003 ,thered fort has been under the  protection of the central industrial security force (CISF) and the central reserve police force (CRPF) ,which fall directly under the contorl of the union government’s ministry of home affairs (MHA.)then how did deep sidhu and his companions manage to reach the ramparts of the red fort unhindered .could it be that the security forces actually allowed them in.

The provocative acts perpetrated at the red fort on january 26 ,2021 by deep sidhu and his accomplices were unprecedented .later;when some farmers who had accompanied sidhu to the  red  fort realised that they had duped ,they were ready to take him to task .to save himself ,sidhu fled from the from the spot on a motorbike and has gone undergr

It Is important to point out that  there are no indications ,or allegations ,that the soild iron grill gate at the main enterances to the red fort was forced  opne. This can only mean that they  were let in since the monument is under  the protection of the CRPF ,are we  then to understand that they  let sidhu and his accomplices  into the red fort ? is the resulting dereliction  of duty constitutes a serious breach of security for  which none other than MHA should be held accountable .