Republic Day 2018: Inspector Sarvesh Kumar Sharma has been on the job for 18 years at Rajpath.
Working behind the scenes, securing the VVIPs on Republic Day for last 18 years, Inspector Sarvesh Kumar Sharma, has never won a medal but his greatest pride is that he has won the trust of his seniors in Delhi Police. Every year before preparations for the Republic Day begins, Inspector Sharma is called from his regular posting to handle the logistics in this sensitive area on Rajpath, where the parade takes place and India proudly showcases its military might.
"My first assignment at this Rajpath post was 18 years ago when I was a young recruit and since then every Republic Day I am attached to this post," Inspector Sarvesh Kumar Sharma told NDTV. This year he is in-charge of the critical security hub. "This is the biggest celebration of our country and more than 100 agencies work together to make it successful. You need experience to manage and coordinate. I feel proud to be a part of this project," said Inspector Sharma who is currently attached to the Kalkaji Police Station in south Delhi.
Rajpath police post coordinates with all the security establishments "for the logistical arrangements for
Republic Day," said the Inspector. From the Public Works Department to the intelligence unit of the Army to the Intelligence Bureau, all agencies include Inspector Sharma in their correspondence.
The Rajpath police post is set up every year 90 days before Republic Day to coordinate with at least 100 odd government agencies to take care of security issues for the who's who in India and across the world invited for the occasion.
Around November, when preparation for Republic Day starts, the Rajpath post is up, near the dais where the dignitaries sit. "The area for the stage is sanitised and anti-sabotage checks are carried out by various agencies and it is this Rajpath post that coordinates with everyone," explains a senior police officer. Keeping a vigil through advanced CCTVs around the saluting area is also done through this post. "Initially the Central Industrial Security Force or CISF looks after the security but from January 18 onwards anti-sabotage checks and security drills are increased," discloses a police source.
Delhi has been brought under a ground-to-air security cover for the 69th Republic Day. 50, 000 security personnel have been deployed including paramilitary forces and commandos of the National Security Guard. Spotters and snipers have been deployed on high- rises in central Delhi. This year 10 heads of states from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN will be chief guests at the Republic Day parade and hence Inspector Sharma says, "It's a bigger dias and greater responsibility."