Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath underway

Celebrations for the 70th Republic Day began on Saturday when the ceremonial parade rolled down the majestic Rajpath here with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in attendance as the chief guest, amid unprecedented security deployment in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three service chiefs.

Later Modi, wearing his traditional kurta pajama and the trademark Nehru jacket, reached the Rajpath and received President Ram Nath Kovind and the chief guest President Ramaphosa.

At the unfurling of the tricolour, the band played the national anthem with a 21-gun salute fired in the background.

Many senior leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Deve Gowda, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were ...