republicday

It is India's Republic Day. I kept awake till about 2 in the afternoon for the flag hoisting and the Parade today. Never miss it. ;) Despite all the hiccups, Indians will always be proud of what India is today, only 61 years since our independence.

When the ceremony began 58 years back, on Jan 26,1951, the thought to this was, people would come to Delhi and watch India's pride and joy being displayed. Sadly, these days the news indicate how difficult the task has become. Here's a new clipping:

As many as 15,000 policemen fanned out across Delhi as an unprecedented security cover was thrown around the Capital to prevent any terrorist activities as it celebrated the 58th Republic Day on Friday.

Stringent security arrangements were in place, mainly along the parade route and around the India Gate area, with special emphasis on tightening access control measures to thwart human bomb attacks.

Securing the Rajpath, the main venue of Republic Day Parade, a multi-layer security ring was in place.

Around 400 armed commandoes of the Delhi Police were positioned along the parade route from Vijay Chowk to Red Fort while about 15,000 Delhi Police and Army personnel were deployed across the capital.

Police deployed mobile hit teams and anti-aircraft guns as elite NSG snipers and commandoes of the Delhi Police and ITBP were posted at strategic locations as part of the massive ground-to-air security apparatus put in place in view of terror threats.

All roads leading to Rajpath were sanitised and major traffic diversions were made to regulate entry of vehicles into the vicinity of the parade route, while people coming to view the parade had to go through multiple security checks.

All vehicles entering Delhi's borders had to pass through multiple checks.

Elaborate air defence measures, including deployment of anti-aircraft guns, were also made to check intrusion of air space of the capital, a no-fly zone during the 105-minute parade. Besides, three military choppers maintained air surveillance all along the parade route.

Metro trains passing near the main venue on the Rajpath were also not allowed to operate in the morning.

Patrolling in crowded market areas had been intensified in the run-up to the Republic Day, while checking and frisking in Metro, railway stations and bus terminals was tightened. Security at the IGI airport was also strengthened in coordination with the CISF.

On the eve of the Republic Day celebrations, Delhi police on Thursday had foiled a major terrorist bid to subvert the national event by arresting a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative with explosives in the capital.

The Pakistani-trained militant, identified as Iftikhar Alam, was arrested from a bus stand near the Metro station in Seelampur locality of North-East Delhi last evening. Around 2.5 kg of RDX, two detonators and a timer were recovered from him.

In another alarming incident, police arrested a man from the Old Delhi Railway station with a live smoke grenade. Mohd Hussain Sheikh, hailing from West Bengal, was nabbed during a routine checking and booked under the stringent Explosives Substances Act.

Jai Hind!!