India to display military might at Republic Day

NEW DELHI: Missiles like the long-range, nuclear-capable Agni-II and sophisticated weapon systems like T-90 tanks and Il-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft will be among the attractions at this year's Republic Day parade.

The parade, held every January 26 to mark India's emergence as a republic in 1950, will also feature the BrahMos, a missile jointly developed by India and Russia, the home-grown Windy 505 fast attack vehicle and a flypast by the indigenously developed advanced light helicopter.

"The whole parade is a highlight as it showcases the might of the armed forces and India's cultural heritage," said Maj. Gen. Thomas Mathew, the general-officer-commanding Delhi area, who will lead this year's parade.

For Mathew, the event will be particularly nostalgic because he will be leading the parade exactly 40 years after he participated in it as a young member of the National Cadet Corps.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the supreme commander of the armed forces, will take the salute and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, will be the chief guest.

Kalam will also give away posthumous gallantry awards to the kin of two soldiers - paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri and Lt. Triveni Singh - who died in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

This year's parade will feature several firsts, including the fielding of two mounted marching contingents and a tableau by the Indian Army.

Besides the contingent from the 61 Cavalry, the world's only mounted regiment, there will also be a mounted contingent from the Army Service Corps.

Besides the 29 tableaux sent by states across the country, the Indian Army would provide a tableau commemorating last year's successful joint expedition to Mt Everest by the armies of India and Nepal.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moscow rivers, will be shown off for the first time at the parade.

"The parade presents a major security challenge. Delhi Police will lead the security drill and it will be backed up by agencies like the National Security Guard and the bomb disposal squads," said Mathew.

Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters will mount vigil in the skies over Delhi while the parade makes its way down Raj Path to the Red Fort, and anti-aircraft guns will be deployed at strategic sites to guard against aerial threats.

Preparations for the parade began in mid-December when troops and equipment were brought in from across the country to New Delhi, Mathew said.

The army contingents taking part in the Republic Day parade also participated in the Army Day parade on January 15.

Over 3,500 armed forces personnel will be among the marching contingents and there will be a display by a motorcycle team of the Border Security Force.

The parade will be capped by a flypast by IAF aircraft, including Mi-17, Mi-26 and Mi-35 helicopters, An-32 and Il-76 transport aircraft, Su-30, MiG-29 and Jaguar fighters and an Il-78 flight refuelling aircraft that will demonstrate the technique of air-to-air refuelling with a pair of Su-30s.

The IAF will also feature a new manoeuvre, named the Prince of Wales, in the aerobatic display by the Su-30s.

MAn each time I read/see something about India I get astounded by the phenomenal diversity there -- look at the pictures you've posted -- the soldiers look completely different! And as for the article: Maj. Gen. Thomas Mathew, the general-officer-commanding Delhi area, who will lead this year's parade. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the supreme commander of the armed forces

A Christian and a Muslim as leaders in a Hindu nation. Shows that India really does believe in equality and meritocracy -- like America. I've never heard of anyMuslim country that allows persons of other faiths to reach such heights.

Dodged a big one, apparently.

25 Jan 2004 15:45:39 GMT
India says guerrillas caught planning parade attack

NEW DELHI, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Indian police said on Sunday they had arrested a cell of heavily-armed Muslim guerrillas who had been planning to attack the spectacular annual Republic Day parade through New Delhi on Monday.

"The level of security alert is now on maximum," Ashok Chand, Deputy Commissioner of Police, told Reuters.

He said three members of the Pakistan-based guerrilla group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is fighting Indian rule in disputed Kashmir, had been detained in the capital along with three kg (seven pounds) of high-grade explosive.

Chand said rocket-propelled grenades, detonators and timers were also recovered from the militants, who he said had plans to attack the parade.

Helicopters and armed commandos will maintain air and route surveillance during the Republic Day parade, on anniversary of India's birth as a republic in 1950. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is to be the chief guest.

Caches of arms and ammunition were also seized by Indian soldiers in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where Indian forces have been fighting a rebellion for more than a decade.

Muslim separatist guerrillas have often attacked festivities in Kashmir to mark Indian Independence Day and Republic Day in the past.

A statement from the Indian army said soldiers recovered 12 rockets, 112 grenades, eight bombs, 40 kg of explosives and ammunition from militant hideouts in Kashmir.

"These dumps were probably planned to be used by foreign terrorists to disrupt the ongoing peace process and create terror on January 26," the statement added.

"Level of security, mobilisation (of troops), surprise checks, frisking has been intensified," said K. Srinivasan, a senior official of the Border Security Force in Indian Kashmir.

Many separatist groups in Kashmir, including the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, have called for a strike on Monday to protest against Republic Day celebrations.

Security forces have boosted surveillance and blocked eroads around Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, the site of Monday's celebrations.

New barricades have been erected and the terraces of high rise buildings have been taken over by sharpshooters from the security forces.

Indian soldiers and police searched passengers on buses around Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, witnesses said.

Violence has continued in Kashmir despite peace moves by India and Pakistan, who have fought two of their three wars over the region.

The neighbours have agreed to resume bilateral talks in February over a range of disputes, including Kashmir.

Last week, the leaders of the moderate faction of Hurriyat met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani for unprecedented talks aimed at ending the revolt.

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