The Hindu : Front Page : Olympic torch relay run peaceful

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Friday, Apr 18, 2008
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Olympic torch relay run peaceful

Sandeep Dikshit

Massive police cordon in fortress Delhi keeps Tibetan protesters at safe distance

The torch covered 2.3 km in 35 minutes with the relay guided by Chinese security guards
The heart of Delhi was punctuated by checkpoints at every intersection

Photos: R.V. Moorthy, PTI/ Shahbaz Khan

THE DELHI LEG: Tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi hold the Beijing Olympic Torch as Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit cheers them at India Gate in New Delhi on Thursday. (Right): Tibetans stage a protest march elsewhere in the Capital. —

NEW DELHI: The Delhi leg of the Olympic torch rally was held at the historic Rajpath on Thursday evening amid unprecedented security. Later in the night, the torch left for Bangkok.

The massive police cordon kept public participation to the minimum and effectively curtailed Tibetan attempts at disruption.

The security measures ensured that there was no repeat of the disruptions witnessed in London, Paris and San Francisco.

Three-layered security

Surrounded by over 17,000 policemen in a three-layered security cordon, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit handed over the Olympic flame to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi after it was lit by Beijing Olympic Organising Committee official Jiang Yu against the backdrop of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“Flying Sikh” Milkha Singh had the honour of leading the relay and a total of 70 sportspersons and celebrities took quick turns to hand over the torch down the Raisina Hill to India Gate.

The torch covered 2.3 km in 35 minutes with the relay guided by Chinese security guards in blue and white tracksuits. Delhi Police commandos in red and white sportswear ran alongside the torch to guard against any attempt at disruption.

Lighting of cauldron

The relay ended with tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi lighting the cauldron at the India Gate. After this, the flame was taken in a lantern to the airport for its 12th leg in Thailand.

Though strong winds caused the flame to go out a couple of times, Tibetan protesters were unable to come anywhere near the torch.

Police action that started on Wednesday night with the rounding up of potential Tibetan troublemakers continued during the day whenever they put in an appearance near the outermost security cordon. About 250 Tibetans were detained or arrested.

The heart of Delhi was punctuated by checkpoints at every intersection that even impacted the quorum in the Rajya Sabha as members were unable to return to the House after lunch.

Traffic away from the Lutyen’s Delhi was also affected as advisories by the police kept people off the roads.

The authorities curtailed bus services and even shut down the Delhi Metro’s approach line to the site of the torch relay. As an additional security precaution, the exit gates of the Metro were padlocked.

Parallel torch

A parallel “Torch for Tibet” rally ended a kilometre away from the main venue. It had the participation of the former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, and IOA member Nafisa Ali, who said the aim was not to disrupt the Olympic torch but draw attention to “marginalisation of Tibetans in China.”

The protest site was a riot of colour with Tibetan flags, placards and banners and teemed with monks attired in traditional red robes along with women and children.

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