NSG commandoes contingent march during the 68th Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26. AFP
New Delhi, January 26
‘Black cat’ commandos of elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) and Tejas, India’s indigenously-built light combat aircraft, made their debut in this year’s Republic Day parade in New Delhi.Tejas led the fleet of fighter aircraft in the fly past over Rajpath.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)It was after a gap of about two decades that an indigenously developed aircraft took to the skies on Republic Day. Marut was the last indigenous fighter aircraft to be part of the R-Day fly past in the 1980s and the 90s.Led by Group Captain Madhav Rangachari, three Tejas jets flew in ‘Vic’ formation at a height of 300 meters and 780 kmph.The lightweight, supersonic, multi-role single seat fighter was inducted in Indian Air Force’s 45 squadron ‘Flying Daggers’ in July last year.Whereas a contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade.The commandos were given a rapturous round of applause by the spectators as they marched down Rajpath singing the NSG song “Hum haina haina hindustan” penned by renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.The march past by the NSG also displayed ‘Sherpa’—a specially designed hijack intervention vehicle—and two gypsies used for anti-hijack operations.The NSG, which selects the best of the officers and men from the Indian Army as well as from various central armed police forces, was raised in 1984.Unmatched dedication and ruthless training is the bedrock of the force which ensures that they take on counter terrorist operations across the country at short notice. Children who won the National Bravery awards also drew cheers from the audience at the parade as they passed through the Rajpath in open jeeps.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday presented the National Bravery Awards to 25 children, four of them posthumously, from different parts of the country.Among the posthumously awarded children was Payal Devi of Jammu and Kashmir, who lost her life when she jumped into 17-20 ft deep water in Ramban during the flash floods in the Valley to save three students, but all of them were washed away.The awardees included Tarh Peeju who has been conferred the coveted Bharat Award posthumously while Tejasweeta Pradhan (18) and Shivani Gond (17) from West Bengal have been selected for the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award.Tejasweeta and Shivani, both volunteers with a rights NGO, first befriended on Facebook a minor girl who had gone missing from Nepal, and who ultimately turned out to be a conduit in the trafficking ring.Peeju, who died while rescuing two other children when they were swept away by the current in the Pachin River in Arunachal Pradesh, is among the four awardees to have been conferred the honour posthumously.The Sanjay Chopra Award has been conferred on 18-year-old Sumit Mamgain of Uttarakhand for displaying outstanding bravery in fighting a leopard to save his cousin’s life.The National Bravery Award Scheme was initiated by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) in 1957 to give recognition to children who distinguish themselves by performing outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service.In 1978, the ICCW instituted two bravery awards for children under the age of 16, the Sanjay Chopra Award and the Geeta Chopra Award, given each year along with the National Bravery Award.The Awards were introduced in memory of the two Chopra children, who laid their lives, while confronting their kidnappers. — PTI
68th Republic Day: NSG commandos debut in parade at Rajpath