BRICS or Fortress Delhi, 30,000 Security Personnel Mobilised for Xi, Putin and Pezeshkian

Delhi is gearing up for a high security BRICS summit, with elaborate arrangements underway across Chanakyapuri, the airport and Bharat Mandapam ahead of the arrival of several world leaders. Security has been significantly tightened at hotels in Chanakyapuri, where Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to stay during their visit. According to officials, Putin is scheduled to arrive on September 11, while Xi is expected to reach the capital on September 12. Both leaders are expected to land at the Air Force Station in Palam before travelling to their designated hotels. Foreign Security Teams Already in Delhi Security preparations have moved beyond Indian agencies, with Chinese and Russian security teams already arriving at the hotels where their respective presidents are expected to stay. Sources said the teams have brought specialised security equipment and that personnel have been positioned across multiple areas of the hotels, including the floors occupied by the leaders, roof tops and ground floors. The Delhi Police Special Cell has reportedly been assigned responsibility for security arrangements for Xi Jinping. At the hotel where Putin is expected to stay, additional senior police officers have also been deployed in shifts. Hotel employees have undergone extensive verification, including checks in Delhi and their respective home states. The Russian and Chinese delegations are also expected to bring some vehicles and convoy cars to India by aircraft, adding another layer to the already elaborate security arrangements. 30,000 Personnel Deployed Around 30,000 security personnel have been deployed for the summit, covering key locations including the airport, hotels and Bharat Mandapam. Approximately half of the personnel are from the Delhi Police, while the rest have been drawn from paramilitary forces. For coordination, authorities have divided the security network into sectors, with each sector placed under the supervision of a Deputy Commissioner of Police or Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police. In other words, Delhi is not merely preparing to host a diplomatic summit it is preparing for a security operation spread across the capital. Leaders Spread Across Multiple Hotels Xi and Putin are not the only leaders receiving extensive security arrangements. Most foreign dignitaries attending the summit will be accommodated in different hotels across New Delhi. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, for instance, will stay at a separate hotel. Several other visiting leaders and senior officials will be grouped at different properties. The president of Indonesia, the prime minister of Ethiopia, the president of Kazakhstan, and Thailand deputy prime minister and finance minister are expected to stay at one hotel. At another property, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and finance ministers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Brazil are expected to be accommodated. Putin is expected to stay at a hotel alongside VIP dignitaries from Bangladesh, while the president of South Africa is expected to share accommodation arrangements with the president of Burundi. Other groups include officials from the Philippines, Vietnam, Bolivia, Cuba and Uruguay. Delhi Turns Into a Diplomatic Security Zone The arrangements under line the scale and sensitivity of the BRICS gathering, particularly with leaders from major geopolitical powers converging on the capital at a time of heightened international tensions. With thousands of police and paramilitary personnel deployed, foreign security teams conducting their own preparations and entire hotels placed under intense scrutiny, the summit is shaping up to be as much a logistical challenge as a diplomatic one. For Delhi, the message is clear- BRICS may be about diplomacy at the summit table, but before the leaders even reach that table, the capital's security machinery has already been working overtime.