Delhi: More than 800 drink driving challans issued on New Years Eve in city
The Delhi Police issued 868 challans for drink-driving one New Year's Eve. The capital had beefed up security to ensure smooth and incident-free celebrations of new year 2026. At least 20,000 police personnel were on duty across the city to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident on the day. Security had also been beefed up at the UP and Haryana borders, the states adjoining the national capital.
New Delhi: Delhi Police issued 868 challans for drink-driving on New Year's Eve, said a police officer. Several special enforcement teams were deployed to public places, including arterial roads, nightclubs and residential hubs to curb hooliganism and motorcycle stunts by drunk drivers.
Breathalyser tests conducted
Several checkpoints were put up across the city. The police also conducted breath analysis tests on drivers at various checkpoints. The teams rotated their locations in order to prevent drivers from changing their routes to avoid them.
The Delhi Police had deployed 20,000 personnel across the city on New Year's eve to maintain law and order. These teams kept vigil outside malls, clubs, bars and also restaurants throughout the night of December 31 and January 1 in order to curb any untoward incident. The police said that they paid special attention to areas like Connaught Place, Hauz Khas, and Aerocity, which traditionally see huge crowds on New Year's eve.
The Delhi Police said that the aim of the entire exercise was not just penalising the drunk drivers, but also to send out a strong message against the practice in general. They said that this drive was meant to act as a deterrent against drunk driving, which is a major cause of accidents on Delhi roads.
A strong vigil was kept on the borders of Delhi on New Year's eve. Security personnel were deployed at Delhi-Haryana border and also the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.
Talking about the security arrangements DCP (Dwarka) said, "As many as 74 police personnel will be on motorcycle patrols using sirens to enhance alertness. We have set up 48 pickets, some integrated with the PCR and traffic police, to check rash driving near high footfall venues. Additional staff, including women police personnel, have been on duty since Wednesday morning near vital installations and religious places. Violators will be detained and taken to police stations."