Republic Day on Sunday began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paying tribute at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The parade wasattended by President Ram Nath Kovind, with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as chief guest.
Tight security was put in place around Rajpath, where the Republic Day parade was held.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police was on the lookout for people clothed in black and those trying to reach India Gate carrying placards or messages related to the Citizenship Amendment Act or the National Register of Citizens.
11.48 am: The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) weapons system has been displayed at the parade, The Times of India reports.
11.34 am: Next are the Su-30 MKIs of the Indian Air Force, executing a “trishul” manoeuvre.
11.30 am: Five Apache helicopters have flown in. The formation is led by Group Captain Mannarath Shylu VM, commanding officer of the 125 Helicopter Squadron. Five Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft, in “Arrowhead” formation fly past at a speed of 780 km, ANI reports.
11.28 am: Wing Commander SK Chauhan leads the “Vic” formation, comprising three Dornier aircraft, ANI reports. The captains of the other two aircraft are Squadron Leaders Vikas Kumar and Abhishek Vashisht.
11.20 am: The tableaux of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha have been displayed at the parade.
11.15 am: Twenty-one women on five motorcycles make a human pyramid at the parade, ANI reports. Assistant Sub Inspector of Police Anita Kumari VV leads this formation.
11.05 am: The Google doodle today is on Republic Day. The doodle was made by Singapore-based guest artist Meroo Seth.
10.58 am: Four blasts hit Assam this morning. Of these, three blasts took place in Dibrugarh district and one in Charaideo district. There have been no reports of any casualties so far.
Read more: Four blasts rock Assam on Republic Day, no casualties reported yet
10.55 am: Sixteen state tableaux are on show today, and six are from ministries. In total, 22 tableaux will be on display.
10.45 am: Some of the other states putting up tableaus are Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam.
10.40 am: There was controversy earlier this month after West Bengal, Maharashtra and Kerala’s Republic Day tableaus were rejected by the defence ministry. The states alleged they were rejected due to political vendetta, as all three are non-BJP states.
10.37 am: The states’ tableaus begin. The first one is Chhattisgarh’s. It’s followed by Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
10.30 am: The CISF contingent, comprising 85 personnel, marches past.
10.23 am: The Navy tableau comes down Rajpath followed by the Indian Air Force’s tableau.
10.20 am: The veterans’ tableau comes down Rajpath.
10.18 am: Several regiments and defence contingents are marching past Kovind and Bolsonaro.
10.08 am: The Army’s main battle tank, the T-90 Bhishma, is displayed.
10.06 am: Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra winners salute the president and chief guest.
10.05 am: MI-17 V-5 helicopters shower flowers on Rajpath.
10.04 am: The parade begins. Lieutenant General Asit Mistry leads the parade.
10.01 am: Kovind unfurls the flag, the national anthem plays amid a 21-gun salute.
9.58 am: President Kovind and his Brazilian counterpart arrive at Rajpath for the parade.
9.53 am: Modi, Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs welcome Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at Rajpath before the parade starts.
9.45 am: President Ram Nath Kovind and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leave Rashtrapathi Bhavan for the parade.
9.40 am: Modi is accompanied by the defence minister, Rajnath Singh.
9.36 am: Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Air Staff Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria are at the war memorial, Hindustan Times reports.
9.35 am: PM Modi arrives at the National War Memorial.
9.33 am: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweets Republic Day wishes.
9.30 am: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police hoists the flag at an altitude of over 17,000 feet in Ladakh.
9.17 am: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh says people should remember the freedom fighters who fought for the country’s independence. “Today on 71st #RepublicDay, let’s take a minute to thank all who fought for our freedom & shaped our country to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular & Democratic Republic with the adoption of the Constitution,” he tweets. “Let us pledge to uphold & safeguard these values of our great Nation.”
9.03 am: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has hoisted the national flag at his residence in Mumbai, ANI reports.
9 am: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi has hoisted the tricolour at the organisation’s headquarters in Nagpur, ANI reports.
8.55 am: As many as 22 tableaux, 16 from states and six from various government ministries, will be shown as part of the parade, the Hindustan Times reports.
8.47 am: Entry and exit at some of the metro stations in central Delhi will be closed for a few hours in the morning, PTI reports. Entry and exit facilities at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan metro stations will not be available from 6 am to 12 pm. Patel Chowk and Lok Kalyan Marg metro stations will be closed from 8:45 am to 12 noon, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials say.
8.43 am: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also wished the nation on the 71st Republic Day. “My best wishes to each & every Indian on this our Republic Day,” he tweets.
8.32 am: “Happy Republic Day,” tweets Congress leader P Chidambaram. “The soul of the Constitution lies in the freedoms guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution.” He says that the people gave themselves these freedoms and no government can take them away.
8.25 am: The Republic Day parade will begin shortly. Shreeshma Hegde, senior under-officer, National Cadet Corps Directorate, Karnataka and Goa will lead the NCC girls’ contingent.
8.20 am: Tight security has been put in place in the area surrounding Rajpath, the Hindustan Times reports. The Delhi Police are on the lookout for people clothed in black and those trying to reach India Gate carrying placards or messages related to the Citizenship Amendment Act or the National Register of Citizens.
8.12 am: The 71st Republic Day celebrations will shortly begin from the National War Memorial in New Delhi, The Indian Express reports. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event, along with chief guest, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
8 am: The tricolour has been unfurled at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, where protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have been going on for over a month, ANI reports.
7.55 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished the country on the 71st Republic Day. “Wishing everyone a happy #RepublicDay,” he tweets.