Delhi Locks Down High-Tech Security Grid for Global AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam
New Delhi has stepped onto the global technology stage this week as it hosts an international Artificial Intelligence Summit — a five-day gathering focused on shaping how AI should serve humanity, sustainability and economic growth.
The conference aims to bring governments, industry leaders and researchers onto one platform to discuss responsible innovation, regulation and collaboration.
India has framed the discussions around three guiding principles — People, Planet and Progress — signalling an attempt to balance technological advancement with ethics and environmental responsibility.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the event, authorities have mounted one of the most comprehensive security operations in recent years across the national capital.
Delegates, heads of organisations and technology executives from about 45 nations have begun arriving in the city for the summit being held at Bharat Mandapam — the same venue that hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023.
The programme runs from February 16 to February 20.
According to senior police officials, arrangements mirror those used during the G20 meet.
Personnel have rehearsed every movement in advance, from hotel departures to venue arrivals, including motorcade routes and emergency protocols.
More than a dozen luxury hotels in central Delhi are housing foreign delegations, each guarded by a dedicated police contingent and connected to nearby police stations through temporary control rooms.
Coordination is also underway with law enforcement agencies in neighbouring Noida and Gurugram, where some visiting groups are staying.
Multi-layered security network
Authorities have created a dense surveillance and protection grid around the venue and key locations:
- Six counter-drone systems installed
- Four air-defence guns deployed
- 500 CCTV cameras, including 300 AI-powered units
- 15,000 personnel assigned to security and movement management
The complex has been divided into ten sectors, each supervised by an officer of Deputy Commissioner rank. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos have taken position at sensitive points.
Police units such as the Special Cell, Crime Branch, PCR and reserve battalions have been joined by paramilitary formations from NSG, CISF, BSF and ITBP along access routes.
Bomb disposal teams, detection squads and sniffer dog units remain on standby throughout the summit.
Citywide monitoring and tech-driven access
Visitors may also tour prominent landmarks — Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb — where additional policing has been arranged.
Entry into the summit premises is entirely digital: participants have been issued QR-coded passes verified at gates.
The site is monitored via a centralised Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (C-4I) network under the Safe City initiative.
Security personnel are equipped with smart glasses featuring facial recognition and thermal detection capabilities, technology previously used during Republic Day security operations.
Meanwhile, civic bodies, including the NDMC, have undergone special briefings to handle logistics and crowd management during the international gathering.
The summit is expected to host discussions on ethical AI frameworks, cross-border data governance, innovation partnerships and the role of emerging economies in shaping global technology rules.
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