India celebrates 73rd Republic Day
Twenty-five tableaux of different states, departments and armed forces were part of the parade.
New Delhi, Jan 26: The national flag was unfurled on 73rd Republic Day at Rajpath followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute on Wednesday. According to the tradition, the 21-gun salute was presented by the ceremonial battery of 871 field regiment.The ceremonial battery was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jitender Singh Mehta.
Three marching contingents of the Indian Army wore uniforms and carried rifles from previous decades, while one contingent wore the new combat uniform and carried the latest Tavor rifles at Republic Day Parade-2022 (RDP-2022) as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrating the 75th year of India’s independence.
There were a total of six marching contingents of the Army at the parade this year.
Each marching contingent this year comprised 96 soldiers instead of the usual 144 so that proper attention can be given to COVID-19 protocol.
The Indian Army’s first marching contingent, of Rajput regiment soldiers, wore the 1950s uniform and carry .303 rifles.
The second marching contingent, of Assam regiment soldiers, wore the 1960s uniform of the Indian Army and carry .303 rifles.
The 1970s uniform of the Army was worn by soldiers of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment, who formed the third marching contingent, and they carried 7.62 mm self-loading rifles.
The fourth and fifth marching contingents were of Sikh Light Infantry and Army Ordnance Corps Regiment, respectively, and these soldiers wore the current uniform of the Army and carry 5.56 mm Insas rifles.
The sixth contingent was of Parachute regiment soldiers who wore the new combat uniform, which was unveiled earlier this month, and carried Tavor rifles.
Overall, there were a total of 14 marching contingents — six of Army, one of Navy, one of Air Force, four of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), two of National Cadet Corps (NCC), one of Delhi police and one of National Service Scheme (NSS).
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had two tableaux at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday, showcasing indigenously developed warfare systems for the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas and air independent propulsion (AIP) systems for Indian submarines.
Twenty-five tableaux of different states, departments and armed forces were part of the parade.
President Ram Nath Kovind honoured the proud winners of the highest gallantry, including the winners of Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra.
Flower petals were showered by four Mi-17 V5 helicopters flying in the wineglass formation.
