The Wire Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan had taken to Twitter on Friday, 23 July, to post a photo of a police constable sitting in the news organisation's office, saying that the personnel, who arrived without notice, came with "inane enquiries".
Hours after the visit to the office in Gole Market area, the district DCP claimed it was a part of a “routine checking related to 15 August”.
The visit gains significance as it comes in the background of the recent Pegasus Report, which was published by a consortium of 16 media houses, across the world, including The Wire from India.
The media houses, partnering with the French nonprofit Forbidden Stories and human rights group Amnesty International, have revealed a database of numbers that maybe have been targets of all-invasive surveillance done through the Israeli software Pegasus.
Responding to Varadarajan, DCP (New Delhi district) Deepak Yadav said, “Local beat officer had gone to verify an office that didn’t bear any signboard at the entrance.”
Ahead of 15 August, security measures have been enhanced in Delhi-NCR, with multi-layered arrangements and over 40,000 security personnel deployed at the border and in the city.
Agencies like NSG, SPG, and ITBP are directed to be on high alert.
Additionally, over 2,000 snipers have been deputed at classified locations on high-rises within 5 kilometres of the Red Fort.
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