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Security personnel of Delhi Police and paramilitary forces keep a close watch on both the perimeter and the inner premises of the Mughal-era monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
India is hosting the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the fort from December 8 to 13.
The meeting is taking place in the backdrop of the blast at the Red Fort on November 10 in which 15 people were killed and more than two dozen were injured.
The 17th century fort complex comes under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and has been closed to general visitors from December 5 in view of the event. An ASI official had earlier said that it would remain closed till December 14.
A set of security barricades with ‘Delhi Police’ signage have been arranged in a maze-like manner right next to the spot where the blast took place.
A police personnel on duty points towards a layer of soot that can still be seen on the roadside near the gate of the Red Fort metro station, where security barricades have been installed.
“This is the same place where the blast took place in November and since it is a huge international event being held in Delhi, the security is very tight, day or night,” the personnel told PTI.
Only those delegates and media personnel who are accredited by UNESCO and the host country and issued dedicated badges can enter the Red Fort.
An armed CISF guards the entry into the fort complex from the Delhi Gate side.
Inside the fort, security personnel constantly keep a watch on the movement in and out of delegates and other guests.
After dark, policemen on bikes patrol the road around the perimeter of the fort complex from Lahori Gate to Delhi Gate.
The inaugural ceremony of the mega event was held on December 7, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attending as the chief guest.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, UNESCO Director General Khalid Al-Enani, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO Vishal V Sharma.
India’s festival of lights, Diwali, was on Wednesday included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In the evening, a cultural program was organized for the delegates and others in the front lawn of the iconic Diwan-e-Aam, followed by a gala dinner amid tight security.
“It is a pleasure to be in India for the first time, to learn more about this land and its people,” Abu Dhabi-based Walid Al Halani, a member of the UAE delegation at the session, told PTI. Traders in the old Lajpat Rai Market still talk about the blast in hushed tones and try to leave the unpleasant past behind.
“We have to move forward, but the signs are there,” said one trader, requesting anonymity.
The Red Fort is a popular tourist attraction which is visited by a large number of tourists every day.
Built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a palace for his capital Shahjahanabad, the complex is famous for its massive fortified walls. Its construction work was completed in ten years between 1638 and 1648.
In 2023, the fort was also the venue of the first Indian Art, Architecture and Design Biennial (IAADB).
(This is an agency feed. It is not edited by CNBC-TV18)