NEW DELHI, April 17: The Olympic torch run here ended peacefully despite sporadic protests with tennis players Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi carrying it to the India Gate in the capital.

The truncated run that lasted for about 40 minutes was smooth and incident free. The torch will leave for Bangkok later on Thursday.

The ace tennis duo, who took over the torch from former Olympian Randhir Singh, together lit the Olympic cauldron at the India Gate bringing an end to the traditional ceremony which kept security personnel on tenterhooks.

Guarded by as many as 17,000 security personnel, the Beijing Olympic torch was taken through a 2.3 km stretch in the national Capital on Thursday with Tibetans protesting in various places in the country.

For over five hours, the majestic Rajpath was turned into a security fortress with the Prime Minister’s office and Ministries of Defence, External Affairs and Finance lining the torch route from Rashtrapati Bhavan shut down.

With a three-layered security ring akin to Republic Day arrangements in place, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit handed over the Olympic flame to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi after it was lit by vice-chairman of Beijing Olympics Organising Committee Jiang Yu with the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan forming the backdrop.

‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh, one of India’s greatest athletes, had the honour to lead the relay before the torch changed hands with nearly 70 celebrities including sportsmen, film stars and politicians taking short runs culminating at the India gate.

Sportspersons Aslam Sher Khan, Dhanraj Pillay, Zafar Iqbal, Wilson Cherian, Khazan Singh, K Kunjurani, Bishen Singh Bedi were among others who took part in the event. The tinsel industry was represented by actors Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan.

Sprint Queen P T Usha, former Olympic bronze medalist weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari and world shooting champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu also took part in the relay.

Para Olympian Rajinder Singh Rahelu, who was on a wheelchair, was also among those who carried the torch which was kept at a five star hotel overnight after it was brought from Islamabad amid tight security.

Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has refused to carry the Olympic torch in protest against China’s response to the unrest in Tibet.

Barricades were put all along the Rajpath to thwart any attempts by Tibetans to sneak in. Barbed wire fences were put up outside the heavily guarded Chinese Embassy, which was targeted by Tibetan protestors in recent weeks.

Delhi police commandos dressed in red and blue tracksuits were joined by Chinese security guards in providing close security cover and flanked the runners who passed on the flame after running a few metres.

Around 60 Tibetans were detained as they attempted to block roads and entered into minor clashes with police in various parts of the city.

Thirty Tibetan protestors also tried to barge into the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mild force, including baton charging, was used to disperse them.

The public was kept out and all the access roads to the historic stretch was cut off for several hours to ensure a smooth passage of the torch relay which was earlier plagued by disruptions in London, San Francisco and Paris.—Agencies