G20 Summit hotel code names unveiled: Pandora, Samara, Niketan, and Bharat Mandapam

As the G20 Summit in Delhi concluded on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in global diplomacy, an intriguing aspect has emerged, that of the code names assigned to hotels where the foreign leaders stayed. As part of the intensive security preparations for the summit, officials from the Delhi Police disclosed to India Today that code names were allocated to certain key locations, including renowned hotels, Bharat Mandapam, and Rajghat, to ensure effective organization and heightened security.

The hotels where global leaders resided during their visits, right from US President Joe Biden to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were all given code names. The Maurya Sheraton, where Biden took his stay, was referred to as 'Pandora'. Similarly, the hotel where British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to unpack his suitcase was code-named 'Samara', an ancient Sanskrit term commonly associated with the concept of change or transition. 

Rajghat was code-named 'Rudrapur’, and Pragati Maidan was code-named 'Niketan.' The Le Meridien Hotel was code-named 'Mahabodhi’, and the Taj Man Singh Hotel was code-named 'Paramount’.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and communication units had a detailed process in place for assigning code words. This process involved a number of factors, such as the type of event, the number of people involved, and the level of security required.

The code words are usually changed regularly to prevent them from being compromised. They may also be changed if the event or the security situation changes.

The code words were managed jointly by the Delhi Police's security unit, Special Protection Group (SPG), and the communication unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs. This ensured that the code words are secure and that they are used effectively.

These code words are kept secret so that the position and identity of foreign guests can be kept hidden during movements. These code phrases are also used to avoid security breaches in wireless communication.

These code words were kept strictly confidential throughout the G20 meeting, and even junior-level police officers were unaware of them.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union. On Saturday, the African Union was admitted as G20's permanent member.

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