India celebrates 69th Republic Day today

The Country celebrates its 69th Republic Day on Friday, Rajpath to be resplendently displaying the country’s pride and glory; Heads of ten ASEAN countries to be chief guests at Republic Day; Ground to Air security in place in different parts of the country; Whole parade from Rashtrapati Bhavan to red fort to be telecast live for the first time.

Preparations are in place for the country’s 69th Republic day. All states of the Union and the National capital will witness parades representing the country’s progress in all spheres of development. Preparations are in place for the main event the grand parade on Rajpath in New Delhi.

Preparations in full swing are on in all states of the union and in the capital Delhi. Security has been tightened and all areas have been covered from the ground up to the sky.

The Republic Day Parade on Rajpath will be the main event to mark the occasion, showcasing India’s strength, diversity and culture. After tributes are paid to martyrs who have laid down their lives for the nation at Amar Jawan Jyoti, the grand parade will march down Rajpath. The Armed forces and India’s military might will be display in various forms as will cultural diversity exhibited by many states.

What makes this republic day special is the presence of 10 ASEAN heads of state or Govt, a first in the history of the Republic of India.

5 helicopters will salute the President and his Guests of honour, displaying the tricolour, the ASEAN flag and the flags of three wings of the armed forces.

Rajpath will be resplendent with the colours of India’s rich social and cultural diversity and economic progress. 23 tableau from different states and central govt departments, will be part of the parade. Of them, 14 will be from different states, the rest from different ministries and agencies.

The parade for the first time will display the amazing feats of BSF’s Women Bikers Squad.

A thick Security blanket has been put in place for Republic Day. There is round the clock surveillance of the Parade route and surrounding areas. All roads to India Gate, Rajpath and surrounding areas are under CCTV surveillance. Security personnel are keeping a hawk’s eye on the area from the control room. 50,000 armed personnel have been deployed to provide tight security during Republic Day celebrations. The multi-layer security includes Delhi Police personnel, paramilitary and NSG commandos. The Delhi Metro too is under tight security, and Metro services will be curtailed on some routes during the parade.

Security has been tightened in Mumbai as well, with increased security at historical buildings, govt offices, shopping malls, railway stations and airports.

Security forces have tightened security in Jammu and Kashmir, to thwart any attempt by militants to disturb Republic day celebrations.

Security has also been tightened in other states like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat and Punjab. While the celebration of Republic Day is a symbol of great pride for the country, it does pose a significant challenge to the security apparatus, who take great pride in rising to the occasion as well.