Soldiers march down the ceremonial boulevard Rajpath during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi yesterday.
Agencies/New Delhi
India wheeled out a new long-range nuclear missile that can hit anywhere in China and warned Pakistan not to take its friendship “for granted” as it celebrated its Republic Day with a big parade yesterday.
The Agni V missile, which has a range of 5,000km and can strike across the Chinese mainland and even hit targets as far away as Europe, was successfully tested last April.
The first appearance in the annual parade of the Agni V - seen as marking a significant upgrade of India’s nuclear deterrent - came along with the display of other military hardware acquired as part of a massive modernisation drive costing tens of billions of dollars.
The parade along New Delhi’s ceremonial Rajpath also included floats marking India’s rich diversity and a tableau marking 100 years of Indian cinema wrapped in reels of film and embossed with movie names.
India’s shorter-range Agni I and II were developed with Pakistan in mind, while later versions reflect India’s focus on China as well. India and China have prickly ties and a legacy of mistrust stemming from a brief border war in 1962.
On the eve of Republic Day, marking proclamation of India’s constitution, President Pranab Mukherjee told Pakistan in his annual nationwide televised address that New Delhi’s hand of friendship should “not be taken for granted.”
His speech, aired again yesterday, came amid a ceasefire which took hold last week in Kashmir after the neighbours agreed to halt cross-border firing that had threatened to unravel a fragile peace process.
“We believe in peace on the border and are always ready to offer a hand in the hope of friendship... but this hand should not be taken for granted,” he said.
Before the ceasefire, Pakistan said three of its soldiers died in firing by Indian troops along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir.
India, in turn, accused Pakistani troops of killing two of its soldiers, one of whom was beheaded, and the region remains on edge.
Mukherjee also said it was time for India to “reset its moral compass” following the gang-rape and murder of a student last month that ignited nationwide demonstrations to press for better safety for women.
The death of the 23-year-old woman, “who was a symbol of all that new India strives to be,” had shattered the nation’s complacency, he said.
“We lost more than a valuable life - we lost a dream” and “we must look deep into our conscience and find out where we have faltered,” he said.
Snipers manned rooftops along the route of the parade in New Delhi while helicopters monitored the area from above. Tens of thousands of security forces were deployed in the capital and other parts of the country for the holiday celebrated across India to mark when the nation’s constitution took effect.
The day passed off peacefully all across India barring a minor bomb explosion in Manipur that injured no one. Republic Day functions were held in state capitals and district headquarters with patriotic zeal.
Defying boycott calls by militant groups, hundreds of thousands turned up at official functions in Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya.
The scene was no different in the sprawling Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, a known Maoist den.
Central Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh hoisted the tricolour in a Maoist stronghold in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, saying Maoists could be battled with sound economic development.
BELOW:
1) Missile Agni V is displayed during the parade.
2) Schoolchildren perform a dance during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
