New Delhi | A delegate entering the Red Fort complex from Delhi's Chandni Chowk side has to go through a labyrinthine set of security barricades before heading past the heavily guarded Lahori Gate area to gain admission to the venue of a key UNESCO meet being held in India for the first time.
Security personnel, both from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, keep a hawk-eye vigil on both the perimeter and 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 the Intangible Cultural Heritage from December 8 to December 13 at the fort.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the November 10 Red Fort blast that killed 15 people and injured more than two dozen.
The 17th-century fort complex comes under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and it has been closed for general visitors since December 5 in view of the event. An ASI official earlier said it will be closed till December 14.
A set of security barricades bearing 'Delhi Police' signage has been arranged in a labyrinthine manner right next to the spot where the blast had taken place.
A police personnel on duty points to a layer of soot that can still be seen on a street side near the gate of Lal Quila Metro Station, where the security barricades have been lined up.
"This is the same spot where the blast took place in November, and since this is a very big international event being held in Delhi, security is very tight, day or night," the personnel told PTI.
Only the delegates and media personnel who have been accredited by UNESCO and the host country, and issued dedicated badges, can enter the Red Fort.
An armed CISF guards the entry to the fort complex from its Delhi Gate side.
Inside the fort, security personnel keep a constant watch as delegates and other guests travel in and out.
After dark, bike-borne policemen patrol the street along the perimetre of the fort complex, from Lahori Gate to Delhi Gate.
The opening ceremony of the mega event was held on December 7, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attending it as the chief guest.
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and India's Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Vishal V Sharma, were present at the opening ceremony.
On Wednesday, India's Deepavali, the festival of lights, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In the evening, a cultural programme was hosted for delegates and others in the lawns facing the iconic Diwan-i-Aam, followed by a gala dinner, amid heightened security.
Abu Dhabi-based Walid Al Halani, a member of the UAE delegation at the session, told PTI, "It is a pleasure to be in India for the first time, to know more about this land and its people." Traders at the Old Lajpat Rai Market still talk in a hushed tone about the blast, trying to put the unpleasant past behind.
"We have to move on, but the scars are there," said a trader, who did not wish to be named.
The Red Fort is a popular tourist attraction which receives heavy footfall every day.
Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the palace of his capital, Shahjahanabad, the complex is famous for its massive fortified walls. Its construction was completed over a span of ten years, between 1638 and 1648.
In 2023, the fort was also the venue for the maiden India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale (IAADB).
