India on alert to prevent Independence Day attacks

Much of the security measures are focused on the Capital, where the Prime Minister makes a traditional independence day address from the Red Fort in old Delhi.

India has deployed anti-aircraft guns, snipers and crack commandos as tens of thousands of troops and policemen fanned out across the country to prevent terror attacks ahead of Independence Day on Sunday.

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Much of the security measures are focused on the Capital, where the Prime Minister makes a traditional independence day address from the Red Fort in old Delhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who took office in May, will be making the speech for the first time.

India became free from British colonial rule on August 15, 1947, and its anniversary is marked with colourful parades and ceremonies across the country.

However, the event and the days leading up to it have in recent years been targeted by terrorists. "The threat perception is quite high which is why we have deployed such a large force," said a senior Delhi police officer.

"They have to be lucky just once. We have to be lucky every time. So we can't take chances," he said.

A defence official said anti-aircraft guns had been placed around the Red Fort. The area has already been sealed off to traffic and pedestrians while armed helicopters will patrol the skies when Singh makes his speech early on Sunday.

Security was also stepped up in Mumbai, the country's financial hub, which has been hit by seven bomb blasts in the past two years. The worst of those attacks came on August 25 last year when more than 50 people were killed and over 100 injured.

Last week, a newspaper said that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had informed Indian agencies of the possibility of a suicide blast in Mumbai or Delhi.

But police officers in Mumbai refused to confirm that report. They said they were already on high alert in the run up to August 15, particularly at the city's busy airports, railway stations, a nuclear plant and an offshore oil rig.

In Jammu and Kashmir authorities said they were braced for a rise in terrorist attacks ahead of Sunday. "We have received inputs which suggest that militants are desperate to strike on independence day to create panic," said K Srinivasan, a senior border guards officer. "But we are equally adamant about foiling their designs."

Troops have also fanned out to remote towns and villages across seven northeastern states, which are plagued by insurgencies by dozens of rebel groups.

The rebels have called for a boycott of August 15 events across the region. Last year, rebels in Tripura state killed 34 people in bomb blasts and shootouts on the eve of the celebrations.

"Militants are determined to carry out strikes ... to make their presence felt," a defence officer in the region said.