Unprecedented security ahead of India's Independence Day
India’s capital New Delhi and major cities have been put under an unprecedented security cover amid threats of terror attacks ahead of the country’s Independence Day celebrations tomorrow.
The security alert comes amid intelligence reports that Islamic militant groups were plotting major attacks on or ahead of the event.
Last week, the US Embassy in New Delhi warned that groups linked to al-Qaida could target hotels, airports and historic monuments in New Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities.
Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers were deployed across the Indian capital, a city of 14 million people, where terror attacks were feared the most.
Sharp shooters stood atop government offices, while security forces placed barricades on almost all major streets of the city.
In Mumbai, where security has already been tightened after deadly train bombings of July 11, authorities deployed additional forces in what they described as “sensitive areas” – an euphemism for Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods.
