Drones, 2.3k cops & watch towers to turn Red Road into a fortress for R-Day parade
Times of India | 25 January 2026
Kolkata: The city will be wrapped in a security blanket in the run-up to the Republic Day celebrations this Monday, marking one of the highest deployments since Durga Puja, even higher than Christmas. With the situation on the Indo-Bangladesh borders being monitored, and an intelligence alert of Pak terror groups possibly using our neighbours as a route for entry, Lalbazar asked every senior officer to hit the road on R-Day. The city's heart, Red Road, where the Republic Day Parade will be conducted, will witness drone vigilance from Jan 25.
The city police has prepared a specific security blueprint, focusing especially on Red Road, where the main function, to be attended by CM Mamata Banerjee, will be held on Monday morning.
The area will see multiple security checks, not just by the bomb squad and sniffer dogs, but also by the forest dept, which will search for snakes and poisonous insects around Maidan. The police have divided the zone into 11-12 zones, with one DCP in charge of each zone.
Around 2,300 personnel and 40 special teams in the form of Quick Reaction Teams, HRFS, RFS, and PCRs will be present in and around the Red Road venue. Another 2,500 extra cops will patrol central Kolkata and the entry and exit points of the city, along with vital installations and crossings.
The Bangladesh deputy high commissioner's office will get additional security cover, along with a few other similar buildings.
Multiple watch towers and sand bunkers are also being put up. Though there is no specific intelligence input for the city, cops said they are keeping specific checks as part of general R-Day anti-terror operations. This includes keeping a check at guest houses and hotels.
All roads leading to the centre of the city will be sanitised. A temporary command centre is also operating at Red Road, said cops, adding that Red Road will be shut for this purpose from as early as 10 pm on Sunday.
Cops will use multiple drones and are carrying out all-night special checks on vehicles across the city. "We collated all the inputs and carried out intensive night checks, checking over 400 vehicles each night," said an officer.