Tight security in place in Delhi for Clinton visit

Heavy security is in place with contingents of Delhi Police and the elite National Security Guards personnel manning the Taj Palace and other select areas of the national capital for the visit of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton who arrived here today.

As many as 2,000 security personnel from the Delhi Police and NSG have been deployed at the Taj Palace, where Clinton will stay and along the venues and routes of her travel, providing her "the highest level of security," a senior official said.

Clinton, who arrived here from Mumbai for a two-day visit, will hold a series of meetings with top Indian leaders, including prime minister Manmohan Singh, besides attending several functions.
    
The five-star facility where Clinton will stay turned into a virtual fortress and security personnel from the city and from the US carried out extensive searches ahead of her arrival.
    
The security team from the US yesterday surveyed the floor in which Clinton will be staying.
    
"The floors above and below the suite where Clinton will be staying have also been kept vacant. Sharp-shooters of NSG have been deployed near the Taj Palace as well as on the high-rises on the route of her travel," the official said.

US intelligence officers are also in the city for the high-profile visit. Additional PCR vans and ambulances have been deployed near the hotel, the official said.