((searched but don't see a thread for general questions on DEL airport so posting this))

Curious how others handle this situation - was departing DEL earlier this week, and was turned away from entering the airport as I didn't have my boarding pass yet. I was flying Air Canada, and as on my outbound flight leaving SFO, I could not complete online check-in but was directed to go to the airport to present my passport. However the security guard at the entrance to DEL refused to let me enter even when I had the AC reservation page on my phone, showing a reservation with my name, as well as my passport. He sent me to another gate, which turned out to be the employee entrance (Gate 8), where I went through the same back and forth, he refused to let me enter, blah blah blah. At that point I negotiated and wasn't going to leave so I think he made a risk-based decision to just let me in rather than continuing to negotiate.

Is there a special entrance at DEL for passengers who do not already have their boarding pass? In my experience in most situations you are not able to complete a check-in for an international flight until you present your passport at the airport counter and they can verify your identity. What did I do wrong/what should I do the next time? Is it different for different airlines?

I last flew out of DEL about four years ago, and flew LH on my return that time. I don't remember the same issue so maybe the guards at the door are a new process?