New Delhi: Uncertainty loomed large over Delhi hosting the Queen's Baton Relay of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland as the Indian Olympic Association has sought the deferment of the event from October 12-13 to another date on the ground of lack of security.
The Queen's Baton Relay, to be launched on October 9 at Buckingham Palace, London, where Queen Elizabeth II will place Her message to the Commonwealth into the baton, was to be held here on October 12 and 13 as Delhi was to be the first stop for the Baton as the host of the previous Games.
But fearing that the security for the QBR will not be enough due to Durga Puja festivals, the IOA acting chief Vijay Kumar Malhotra has written to 2014 Glasgow organisers to defer the event to a later date. But the Glasgow authorities are yet to reply on Malhotra's letter.
"October 13 is Vijaya Dashmi and so it will difficult to make large scale security arrangements on October 12 and 13 for the Queen's Baton Relay. Most of the security apparatus will be deployed for the Durga Puja festivals," Malhotra told PTI.
"We need tight security arrangements for such an important event like Queen's Baton Relay and our country's name is at stake if we don't provide enough security for that.
It is also the view of the government and Delhi Police. So I had written a letter to 2014 Glasgow organisers to defer the event to another date but I have not got a reply till now."
Malhotra said that he has called a meeting of senior IOA officials tomorrow to take a decision on the issue.
According to the itinerary, the Queen's Baton Relay is to reach Delhi on October 11 and after two days' stay here, will be taken to Dhaka on October 14 and then to Islamabad on October 16.
Over a period of 288 days, the Baton will cover more than 190,000 kilometres, touching each nation or territory in the Commonwealth family before making its way back to Glasgow for the Opening Ceremony on July 23, 2014.
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