Hyderabad, known for its historical monuments, the necklace road, the pearls, and the much-talked-about biryani, of course, turned into a fortress a few days ago to welcome Ivanka Trump for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Extensive security arrangements were made in the city, as well as the Taj Falaknuma Palace where US President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor dined with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.
However, it looks like all the security arrangements did little as a local TV channel is said to have telecast live images of the dinner, which was in fact barred for outsiders as well as the media. The TV channel managed to lay its hands on the images from the police control room, sending the Prime Minister's Office and the Special Protection Group into a tizzy.
The Hyderabad police, as a security measure, had installed cameras inside as well as on the premises of the Taj Falaknuma Palace and these cameras were linked to the police control room. The TV channel managed to enter the control room, took the live feeds and then telecast it on the channel, a source told the New Indian Express.
Fortunately, the telecast was stopped after the SPG director informed the breach to PK Misra, additional principal secretary to the prime minister, and also got in touch with the Telangana DGP asking him to take the matter into his hands and stop the telecast.
''This was not only a major security breach, but also a breach of privacy and protocol and can have serious implications for the security of the VVIPs,'' sources told the NIE.
Speaking of the incident, in-charge Hyderabad police commissioner V V Srinivasa Rao confirmed that the TV channel had telecast the dinner live but noted that he had no information on the images being taken from the police control room. ''I will have this enquired,'' he told the daily.
"Even I was present at the event and when I was told about the transmission, I immediately directed our control room to see to it that the transmission is stopped. But I am unaware that the channel got live feeds from the control room itself.''
Security was beefed up in the city much before Ivanka landed in Hyderabad. There was high-security cover with over 20,000 personnel of the Telangana police deployed in Hyderabad and Cyberabad. Additionally, the elite anti-Naxalite force Greyhound and anti-terror commando teams Octopus were also deployed at the GES venue, as well as the Falaknuma Palace.
The commandoes were armed with Dragunov sniper rifles with optical sight and night vision abilities. Combing operations in the city with door-to-door searches at Fathima Nagar, Farooqi Nagar and Al Jubail Colony, which are close to the Taj Falaknuma Palace, were also carried out. The employees of the Falaknuma followed a strict protocol and police had issued special passes for their entry and exit.
The US too took up several measures to ensure Ivanka's safety and three bulletproof and mine-resistant Limousines were flown in.
