26 January 2019•Update: 26 January 2019
By Ahmad Adil
CHANDIGARH, India
India on Saturday celebrated its 70th Republic Day with ceremonies held in the capital New Delhi and other parts of the country.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is on his first state visit to India, was the chief guest at the main Republic Day event held in the capital.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind hoisted the flag with a 21-gun salute as he opened the ceremony.
Thousands of people were also present to witness the ceremonial parade in which country’s rich diversity and military might shown.
Local media reported that 25,000 security personnel were deployed in New Delhi to ensure smooth conduct of the event, which was attended by top dignitaries and officials.
Earlier in the morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Delhi’s India gate and paid homage to the soldiers who died in the line of duty. Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also present.
Shutdown in Kashmir
Indian officials in the Jammu and Kashmir also celebrated the Republic Day amid restrictions and a shutdown called by the region’s pro-independence leadership.
The main function in Kashmir was held in Srinagar’s Sher e Kashmir stadium which was heavily fortified. The authorities also suspended the mobile internet services in the region.
The media in Srinagar boycotted the event after four journalists were not allowed to cover the function. The journalists were told by the security officials that there are “adverse reports” about them.
* Zahid Rafiq in Srinagar contributed to this news story.
