About 130,000 security officers will be deployed as India hosts the world's most powerful leaders at a G20 summit in New Delhi this month, a showcase for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country's growing presence on the world stage.
The two-day summit, starting September 9, will have the most high-profile guest list India has ever welcomed, from U.S. President Joe Biden to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman.
"This is a historic and momentous moment," said Dependra Pathak, a special commissioner of the Delhi Police who is in charge of security arrangements in the city. Thousands of personnel from other government security services including the home guards and the para-military Border Security Force will be brought in to maintain law and order, he said.
A spokesperson for the Indian Air Force told Reuters that it will "deploy comprehensive measures for integrated aerospace defence in the Delhi and close-by areas." Modi has converted India's year-long presidency of the G20 into a national event, with different meetings of the group being hosted in key parts of the country, including far-flung Arunachal Pradesh state and Srinagar city in Kashmir.
Modi inaugurated a $300 million venue in the capital in July to host the summit meeting - a conch shell-shaped building that can seat more than 3,000.
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