Unaccredited city cops get 'Wild Card' entry

Delhi police issues own ID passes for jawans to allow them to secure CWG venues

There's madness in the method. It seems that its efforts to ensure foolproof security have backfired on Delhi police. Many of its jawans who are responsible for securing Games venues have been denied accreditation cards. Now as an alternate arrangement, Delhi police has issued its own ID cards to its personnel.


Peacekeeper: A security personnel stands outside the JLN Stadium.

Around 7000 police officials have been provided these cards to allow them entry at different venues.
"It's alarming as well as surprising. We have not been issued accreditation cards which have been deemed mandatory for entering Games venues. We are moving in and out of the gates by flashing the cards issued by Delhi police," said one of the police officials deployed at Siri Fort Sports Complex.

However, the department claims that the cards issued for the purpose are foolproof, biometric and non-cloneable. "Once the venues were handed over to us, we refused to carry out verifications of new cases thereafter. As a result, many of the policemen deployed failed to get accreditation cards. So finally we decided to issue these cards from our side to such policemen who have been deployed at various Games venues. In all there are over 7000-8000 such men and most of them are positioned at Siri Fort Sports Complex," said a Delhi police spokesperson.

Interestingly, the department, on Monday, revoked around 1700 accreditations of volunteers, workers and paid staff working round the clock. All of them were asked to go back to their respective police stations to get re-verified if they wanted to rejoin work with fresh accreditation cards.

"The accreditations had not been checked before assigning them duties. These alleged lapses could also be on the part of the Organising Committee's accreditation," said a Delhi police Official.

Over 35 accreditations were confiscated at different venues on Sunday, including a few at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before the opening ceremony. Ten such cardholders were almost 'thrown' out from the S P Mukherjee Sports Complex on Monday.