Republic Day 2025 parade begins on Kartavya Path

The 76th Republic Day parade began on the Kartavya Path on Sunday with President Droupadi Murmu taking the saluteParade Commander and General Officer Commanding Delhi Area Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar led the parade followed by Parade SecondinCommand and Chief of Staff HQ Delhi Area Major General Sumit MehtaWinners of the highest gallantry awards including the Param Vir Chakra and the Ashok Chakra followed the parade commanderThey include Param Vir Chakra winners Subedar Major Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav retired and Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar retired and Ashok Chakra winner Lieutenant Colonel Jas Ram Singh retiredThe Param Vir Chakra is awarded for the most conspicuous act of bravery and selfsacrifice in the face of the enemy while the Ashok Chakra is awarded for similar acts of valour and selfsacrifice other than in the face of the enemyEarlier President Droupadi Murmu unfurled the national flag at the Kartavya Path on the 76th Republic DayThe flag hoisting was assisted by Indian Navy Officer Lieutenant Shubham Kumar and Lt Yogita Saini The flag unfurling was followed by the national anthem with a booming 21gun salute given with 105 mm Light Field Guns an indigenous weapon system stationed along the iconic Kartavya PathThe gun salute was presented by the ceremonial battery of the 172 Field RegimentPresident Droupadi Murmu and her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto arrived at Kartavya Path for the 76th Republic Day parade on Sunday in a traditional buggy a practice that made a comeback after a 40year gap last yearThey were escorted by the Presidents Bodyguard Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak The Presidents Bodyguard is the seniormost regiment of the Indian ArmyThe goldplated horsedrawn buggy is a black carriage with the national emblem embossed on it in gold The buggy drawn by a mixed breed of Indian and Austrian horses also features goldplated rimsThe presidential buggy had been used for Republic Day functions till 1984 but was discontinued after the assassination of the thenprime minister Indira GandhiThe buggy was last used by Giani Zail Singh in 1984 before being discontinued due to security reasons The presidents then began using limousines for travelIn 2014 thenpresident Pranab Mukherjee used it again for the beating retreat ceremonyHis successor Ram Nath Kovind continued the tradition He inspected the Guard of Honour in the presidential buggy after taking oath in 2017During the British era the buggy belonged to the viceroy of India After Indias independence in 1947 a row erupted between India and Pakistan regarding claims over the carriageWith no immediate solution and higher authority to decide on the row Indias thenLt Colonel Thakur Govind Singh and the Pakistan Armys Sahabzada Yaqub Khan took full responsibility for the fact that ownership of the buggy would depend on a coin tossIndia is believed to have won the toss and the buggy has been with the country since then The carriage has been used by several presidents on various occasions