Central intelligence agencies have warned of protests by Kuki or Meitei groups during Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, and also flagged the possibility of “some anti-government elements” displaying “flags/ placards/ shouting slogans” when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation and hoists the Tricolour, The Indian Express has learnt. These were among the possible threats discussed at a recent meeting held by intelligence agencies in New Delhi district to share the latest threat inputs as well as the security preparedness ahead of Independence Day with the Special Protection Group (SPG), the CISF, the Delhi Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). The meeting, an official said, underlined that Independence Day (I-Day) this year falls less than a month before September’s G20 Summit in Delhi and any adversarial incident before or during the function will have a “negative impact” on the country’s image and its preparedness to host a high profile, multilateral event. The intelligence agencies also pointed out that there is a precedence of various groups resorting to protests in the run up to or even during important events to bring their issues to limelight. The Manipur situation, the farmers’ demand, the Uniform Civil Code, besides issues related to labour/ services, were among the key issues cited as relevant from the security perspective for this year’s event, an official said. “While sharing threat inputs with the Delhi Police and other security agencies… they have been asked to get genuine/ advance updates on protests/ demonstrations and told that they should also coordinate with the police departments of neighbouring states to keep track of mobilisation and movement of potential protesters towards Delhi,” an official said. “The central intelligence agencies also warned about social media, which is being increasingly used for radicalisation and mobilising people, issuing threats to dignitaries and offering rewards for such actions,” the official said. Among other key issues discussed by central intelligence agencies were that of a Pakistan-based operative associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba having directed his associates to carry out reconnaissance of some locations in Delhi, including the headquarters of the National Investigation Agency and the Delhi Police. A senior police officer said proper arrangements have been made to prevent any untoward incident.
