Republic Day to get many firsts, Dhanush and the Anti-Satellite missile to be part of parade

NEW DELHI: The ceremonial wreath laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Republic Day on Sunday will be held for the first time at the National War Memorial, instead of at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. This will also be the first time that the recently appointed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat will be part of this ceremony.
The CDS along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik, the three services chiefs and the Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar will be standing behind the Prime Minister according to the laid down protocol. Previously, the wreath laying ceremony followed by a salute by the dignitaries during Republic Day was held at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, located under the arch of India Gate. The change this time doesn’t mean that the Amar Jawan Jyoti will be ignored. Officials said that a wreath will be laid there as well on Republic Day.

There will also be other firsts. The Dhanush artillery gun and the Anti-Satellite missile will be part of the Republic Day parade for the first time this year.

Meanwhile, the focus of the parade this year will as well will be to give adequate representation to women. Captain Tania Sher Gill, an officer serving with the army’s Corps of Signals, will be leading an all male marching contingent during the parade. Although she will be the second woman to do this, she was the first woman officer to lead an all male marching contingent during the Army Day parade on January 15.

Major General Alok Kacker, the Chief of Staff Delhi Area, who is the parade’s second-in-command said that the wreath laying by the Prime Minister will be at the National War Memorial, instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti. The memorial was inaugurated by Modi in February last year. Following this, it became the place for wreath laying on all designated events, including Republic Day. The memorial commemorates the soldiers who died in wars and operations, including counter-terrorism, since Independence. The Amar Jawan Jyoti consisting of the eternal flame, the rifle and the helmet, was built for the soldiers who died in the 1971 India-Pakistan war and also honoured those troops who died in action after that.

Kacker added that the three service chiefs, CDS and other dignitaries will be present at the memorial as well. He explained that this is happening for the first time. “This will also be the first time that the CDS will be part of the Republic Day, including the ceremony,” another official said.

The post of the CDS was approved by the Cabinet last month and General Bipin Rawat, who was previously the Army Chief, was appointed as the CDS.

Meanwhile, three army equipment are being displayed for the first time during the parade, Kacker said. The main attraction out of the three would be the Dhanush artillery gun. The Dhanush is a 155mm calibre artillery gun, which has been developed by the Ordnance Factory Board. It was inducted into the artillery last year. The army is procuring 114 of them to deploy them along the borders with Pakistan and China. Having a range of 36.5 km, the gun is equipped with an internal navigation system and advance gun sighting system. It is also an all terrain equipment. The gun is towed by an Ashok Leyland truck and is also equipped with self propelled mode, enabling it to be deployed in areas where it cannot be towed.

The other two equipment being displayed for the first time is the short span bridging system and the 15 m Sarvatra bridge system. The K-9 Vajra self-propelled artillery gun will also be part of the parade. This will be the second time that it is being displayed. Importantly, the Anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapon system will also be part of the parade. An ASAT test was successfully conducted with an interceptor missile against a live orbiting satellite in the Low Earth Orbit in March last year.