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India displays its might and culture on 69th Republic Day, with ASEAN leaders as chief guests

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Republic Day

India celebrated its 69th Republic Day on Friday with a grand display of its military might, economic and technological development and multi-coloured cultural diversity – showcasing all this to the leaders of 10 ASEAN nations attending the event as chief guests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the soldiers who died fighting for the country by laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three service chiefs.

Modi then proceeded to receive and greet President Ram Nath Kovind and the chief guests from the 10 ASEAN nations.

Twenty-three tableaux, including those representing various states, ministries, and government departments, rolled down Rajpath. Public broadcaster Doordarshan installed 38 cameras for the coverage of the celebrations and six cameras were deployed for coverage beyond India Gate, said media reports.

A first on this Republic Day was a motorcycle contingent of women personnel of the BSF who showcased their skills at the parade. The 27-member BSF women ‘daredevils’ squad, named ‘Seema Bhavani’, performed stunts and acrobatics on their 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles.

The highlight was the flypast by a number of Indian Air Force aircraft, consisting of formations of Sukhoi-30MKI, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Jaguar, MiG 29 Upgrade aircraft, MI-17 and RUDRA armed helicopters, 130 J, AEW&C aircraft. Five Mi-17 V5 helicopters of the IAF, showering petals and carrying the national flag, ASEAN flag and services flags, preceded parade commander Lieutenant General Asit Mistry, the General Officer Commanding (Delhi Area). A camel contingent of the BSF and columns of the 61st cavalry with 51 horses was also part of the parade.

The IAF tableau was themed “Indian Air Force encouraging indigenisation”, while the tri-service tableau had the message “veterans are asset to the nation’.

For the first time, a tableau of All India Radio led a series of 23 tableaux during the parade and it also featured PM Narendra Modi’s monthly address ‘Mann Ki Baat’. An Income Tax Department tableau about special anti-black money drive launched post-demonetisation was also on the list of many firsts.

The Navy showcased Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant, which will be commissioned in 2020 and the Defence Development and Research Organisation exhibited the ‘Nirbhay’ missile and the Ashwini radar system. Three T-90 tanks, two BRAHMOS missiles, two AKASH missiles were also be part of the mechanised columns at the parade.

The event also saw the posthumous conferment of the Ashok Chakra to Jyoti Prakash Nirala, an IAF Garud commando who laid down his life while gunning down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime military decoration for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.

The parade commenced amid a heavy security blanket with thousands of security personnel, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters deployed in view of the event being attended by ASEAN leaders. Barricades were erected on all major roads leading to the parade venue with policemen checking vehicles and informing people about diversions. Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters were deployed to keep a watch on the eight-kilometre-long parade route from Rajpath to Red Fort besides nearby localities.

Cold weather conditions and dense fog failed to dampen the spirits of those who came to watch the parade.

Ministers, ASEAN leaders grace occasion

Most of the ministers of the Modi government including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Health Minister JP Nadda, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan were among those present on the occasion.

The ASEAN leaders, present in New Delhi to attend the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, were the chief guests. The ASEAN, founded in 1967, comprises Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

The ASEAN leaders attending the parade are Singaporean Premier Lee Hsien Loong Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao PDR’s Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Mallikarjun Kharge casts vote in Kalaburagi, Karnataka

The 81-year-old leader of the INDIA Alliance was accompanied by his wife Radhabai Kharge to a polling station at Basavanagara in Kalaburagi.

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge cast his vote at a polling booth in Kalaburagi, Karnataka on Tuesday. After casting his vote the Congress leader predicted a landslide victory for the grand old party in Karnataka and said he had no doubt about it.

The second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka is undergoing in 14 constituencies. The 81-year-old leader of the INDIA Alliance was accompanied by his wife Radhabai Kharge to a polling station at Basavanagara. While speaking to the media the Congress President said things are good, good reports are coming from everywhere. He said  Allinace partners  are getting strength in this 3rd phase (nationally). He said definitely in this phase of elections the INDIA Alliance will get good support from the people.

Kharge said he has been voting from Basavanagara in Kalaburagi since he became eligible for voting at the age of 21. He said he never got his polling locality changed. When he became Minister, when he became opposition leader in Parliament, he never forgot Basavanagara. He said the people here have given him love and affection and helped him in developing his leadership. He said he was grateful to the poor people who stood by him. He said he would always stand by them.

Kharge’s son in law Radhakrishna Doddamani is the Congress candidate from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha segment, which the Congress leader has represented twice in 2009 and 2014 but lost the election in 2019. BJP has fielded Umesh G Jadhav from the Kalaburagi constituency.

The 14 Lok Sabha constituencies where elections are underway on Tuesday are Shimoga, Davangere, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Haveri, Bellary, Koppal, Bidar, Raichur, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Belgaum and Chikkodi. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in the other 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26.

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India News

Salman Khan firing case: Mumbai Crime Branch arrests fifth accused

The Mumbai Crime Branch on Tuesday made its fifth arrest in the case regarding firing at Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra.

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The Mumbai Crime Brand made its fifth arrest in relation to gunfire at the Bandra home of Bollywood celebrity Salman Khan, on Tuesday. Mohammed Chaudhary, the fifth accused in the case, was taken into custody by Rajasthan police.

The inquiry indicates that on Sunday, April 14, at Galaxy Apartments, Muhammad Chaudhary assisted the two gunmen who have since been detained in carrying out the shooting event. It is said that Chaudhary gave the two shooters money and assisted them in scouting the crime scene.

Chaudhary is being brought to Mumbai today where he will be produced in the court and a demand for custody will be made, the Mumbai Crime Branch said in a statement.

Chaudhary’s arrest coincides with the continuing investigation into the shooting incident that shook Mumbai’s Bandra neighborhood. This arrest adds a new dimension to the intricate network of people connected to the attack on Salman Khan’s home.

On April 14, two attackers riding a bike opened fire outside Salman Khan’s residence, the Galaxy Apartments. Before leaving the area, the two also fired rounds in the direction of Khan’s flat. After the two gunmen were captured by the police, their ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang came to light.

However, the case took a dark turn when Anuj Thapan, one of the gun suppliers, passed away. On May 1, Thapan was found dead in his cell, perhaps from a suicide. According to Mumbai Police, Thapan tried suicide while in custody and was declared dead after being taken to the hospital.

An important development in the inquiry was revealed by Anuj Thapan’s arrest on April 26, which illuminated the network that supplied the attack’s perpetrators with firearms.

However, the Thapan’s family has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe into his death.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi votes at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, urges people to ensure record turnout

Union minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, who is contesting to retain the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, was present when Modi reached the polling booth.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday voted at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in the single-phase voting for 25 seats in Gujarat. He reached the polling booth at Nishan Public School in Ranip locality of Ahmedabad city soon after the voting started at 7 am and cast his vote. The prime minister greeted people and signed autographs on his way to the polling booth.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, who is contesting to retain the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, was present when Modi reached the polling booth. PM Modi also urged people to cast their vote in record numbers in the 3rd phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday and said their active participation will make the election more vibrant. Amit Shah was accompanied by his wife Sonal Shah, son Jay Shah other family members as they exercised their franchise.

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The prime minister congratulated the Election Commission for conducting the first 2 phases of Lok Sabha polls with hardly any violence and asked the people to come out in large numbers to vote. PM Modi further added the way the Indian elections are being conducted can be a learning process for other democracies, and it has been the subject of case study for many universities.

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Voting is taking place in 93 constituencies which are spread over 11 states and Union territories in the 3rd phase of the Lok Sabha elections. PM Modi also posted on X in Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi. More than 1,300 candidates, including around 120 women, are contesting in the 3rd phase of the Lok Sabha election.

PM Modi votes at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, urges people to ensure record turnout

Among the prominent leaders Union ministers Amit Shah (Gandhinagar), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna), Mansukh Mandaviya (Porbandar), Parshottam Rupala (Rajkot), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and S P Singh Baghel (Agra) are contesting the election.

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