WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. security officials drove India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar more than 400 miles during a government shutdown in September after commercial flights were grounded, enabling him to attend a scheduled meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a U.S. State Department report released this week.
The report, prepared by the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service on December 30 and made public on January 8, detailed how agents transported Jaishankar 416 miles by road from the U.S.-Canada border to New York City when the shutdown halted air travel across the country.
Security officials received Jaishankar at the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge on the U.S.-Canada border and undertook a seven-hour drive to Manhattan. A total of 27 agents were involved in the operation, drawn from the Diplomatic Security Service’s Dignitary Protection Division and its field offices in New York and Buffalo. Some agents traveled separately to reinforce local teams.
The report said the security detail coordinated closely with officials from India’s mission to the United Nations, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and U.S. border authorities to complete the handover at the border crossing.
Jaishankar’s motorcade passed through long stretches of upstate New York, with agents planning for winter conditions and extended driving hours. Drivers were rotated during the journey, which continued despite freezing temperatures and limited visibility, the report said.
At one point during a team handoff, an explosive detection dog from a local sheriff’s office alerted to the minister’s armored vehicle, according to the State Department. Agents secured the area and called in local technicians. After an inspection, the vehicle was cleared and the convoy resumed its journey.
After arriving in New York City, one of the security agents encountered a woman who had been badly injured in a hit-and-run accident. The agent provided assistance while other members of the detail worked with city police and fire officials to control traffic and ensure emergency responders could reach the scene.
The woman received medical care, and the incident did not disrupt protection arrangements for the visiting minister, the report said.
U.S. officials said the operation ensured that Jaishankar’s meeting at the United Nations went ahead as planned despite the federal government shutdown. The Diplomatic Security Service, part of the U.S. State Department, is responsible for protecting American diplomats and visiting foreign officials. (Source: IANS)
