No-fly zone for drones and gliders over Delhi during PM’s swearing-in

The Delhi Police on Friday announced that the use of sub-conventional aerial platforms such as paragliders, drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft systems (UAVs and UAS) will be banned in the national capital during the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third time, scheduled to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening.

The prohibition order, which was issued on Friday evening by the Delhi Police chief Sanjay Arora, will come into effect from Sunday and it will remain in force till Monday, unless the order is withdrawn earlier, senior police officers aware of the development said.

The officers added that the multi-layered security cordon formed by the Special Protection Group (SPG), the National Security Guard (NSG), armed paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police will remain in place in and around the Rashtrapati Bhavan when Modi takes oath as the Prime Minister in the presence of many foreign dignitaries, VVIPs, and other guests.

According to the order, police decided to band the use of sub-conventional aerial platforms for two days as they received information that “criminals and terrorists inimical to India may pose a threat to the safety of the general public, dignitaries, and vital installations by the use of such platforms”.

A senior police officer said that a high alert has already been declared in the city and security has been tightened around the venue, at hotels where the foreign dignitaries will be staying, and the routes the dignitaries will be using.

“The traffic police will impose restrictions and diversions on certain roads in central Delhi during the swearing-in ceremony. Multiple meetings of senior police officers have taken place in the police headquarters and in the New Delhi district to discuss the security and traffic arrangement plans. Nearly 3,000 security and traffic personnel will remain deployed in and around the venue,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

The devices and objects that have been banned in the city for Sunday and Monday are paragliders, paramotors, hang gliders, UAVs, UASs, microlight aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small-size powered aircraft, and quadcopters. Para-jumping from aircraft has also been banned.

The commandos from Delhi Police’s SWAT and NSG will remain deployed around the President’s house and various strategic locations on the event day, the officer added.