Washington: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is in Paris (France) these days. Jaishankar, who is famous all over the world for diplomacy, had to face a strange situation in America last year. This incident happened in September last year, when all commercial flights in America were suddenly stopped due to ‘government shutdown’. At that time Jaishankar was to meet United Nations (UN) Chief Antonio Guterres in New York. Recently, this adventurous journey has been revealed in a report of the US State Department. There were tight security arrangements during this journey and 27 agents were present with him. The route had to face icy cold, low visibility and even a bomb disposal squad check. This entire story seems like a thriller film, which has been made public recently.

Why did America’s skies come to a standstill and what was Jaishankar’s compulsion?

This entire incident happened in the month of September last year. At that time, due to the huge political crisis in America, a situation of ‘government shutdown’ had arisen. Due to this, air traffic was badly affected across the country and flights came to a standstill.

After the flights were cancelled, the only option left for them was by road. American security officials immediately took charge. He received the Foreign Minister and began the long 7-hour journey to Manhattan. This journey was approximately 416 miles i.e. 670 kilometers long.

Was there any major threat between the 27 security agents and the bomb squad?

• The security of the Foreign Minister was not a trivial matter. The American ‘Diplomatic Security Service’ (DSS) had deployed 27 of its best agents for this mission. These agents were called from different field offices like New York and Buffalo. Every detail of security was being monitored during the journey.
• According to the report, at one place when the security team was changing, a police dog (Explosive Detection Dog) alerted the Foreign Minister after seeing the armored vehicle. This caused panic for a moment. Bomb disposal experts were immediately called and the entire vehicle was examined closely. The convoy was allowed to proceed only after everything was found safe during investigation.

How did the Foreign Minister reach safely amidst icy cold and road accident?

The journey was not easy as it was freezing cold in the upper reaches of New York. Visibility was very low and the roads were slippery. Considering the long distance, the security agents were driving one by one to avoid fatigue. When the convoy reached New York City, security agents there saw a woman falling victim to a road accident. She was seriously injured in a ‘hit and run’ case.

An agent engaged in Jaishankar’s security immediately helped the woman. The remaining agents coordinated with the police and fire brigade and cleared the way. Despite this entire incident, there was no let down in the security of the Foreign Minister. Eventually he reached his meeting on time.