Special commandos guard VVIPs

With an unprecedented number of VVIPs at a single venue for the opening ceremony of Commonwealth Games,the Special Protection Group pressed into service 18 special commandos armed with the sophisticated German Tavor assault rifles and Italian Beretta pistols to guard the dignitaries. The VVIP section of the stadium had Prince Charles,President Pratibha Patil,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi,former President A P J Abdul Kalam,NDA working president L K Advani and other national and international leaders during the event.

“They are better than any commando force in the country. They have been trained in chemical,biological,nuclear warfare and can tackle hostage situations with almost any kind of weapon,” said an official. The commandos also wear anti-shrapnel glasses to protect their eyes from explosions.

The overall security of the stadium was also of the highest order. There were 7,500 security personnel,including about 40 NSG commandos in each of the four blocks. Plus,each block had around 300 Delhi Police officers — approximately 50 in each section.

However,there was confusion about the entry gates when the spectators started coming in. Things got worse when the radio frequency readers stopped working. Commissioner Y S Dadwal was at the main checkpoint himself to solve the issues. It took almost 35 to 45 minutes for each person to clear the security check because of a lack of communication between security officers and volunteers.