by Peerzada Arshad Hamid
NEW DELHI, Jan 27 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Indian government, on Sunday, celebrated the 71st Republic Day, amid tight and adequate security measures.
The main function was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi, the national capital, where India’s military might and cultural diversity was fully displayed.
Indian President, Ram Nath Kovind, unfurled the Indian national flag, following which the national anthem was played. In accordance with tradition, a booming 21-gun salute was also presented, to mark the beginning of the parade.
The Republic Day ceremony started with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visiting the National War Memorial, where he paid tributes to Indian soldiers who died fighting for the country.
Kovind saluted the parade and flypast. The military contingents, police and paramilitary marched past the podium, with colourful cultural performances being showcased during the parade.
Indian army’s battle tank, Bhishma, infantry combat vehicle, Ballway Machine Pikate and the air force’s new Rafale fighter jet, Chinook and Apache helicopters were the main highlights during the parade. For the first time, Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT) from Mission Shakti and the Dhanush artillery were on display.
According to the officials, over 20,000 security personnel from police and paramilitary were deployed in Delhi, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. Authorities also installed CCTV cameras and face-recognition cameras at Rajpath as part of security.
Several VIPs and foreign dignitaries attended the event. President of Brazil, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, was the chief guest at the parade.– NNN-XINHUA
