BSF camels, army dog squad to be part of R-Day parade

You won't be deprived of the splendid sight of the majestic Border Security Force (BSF) camels ambling down Rajpath this Republic Day on Tuesday.

The gaily caparisoned camels have been one of the main attractions of the Republic Day parade and this year too, a 56-strong contingent will amble down Rajpath on Tuesday, an official statement said. A dog squad drawn from the Remount and Veterinary Corps also take part, led by their handlers.

Another attraction of the parade will be a 76-member French army contingent led by a French military band consisting of 48 musicians. The Indian Army's showcase will include a horse-mounted column of the 61 Cavalry and marching contingents of the Parachute Regiment, the Corps of Signals, the Rajput Regiment, the Garhwal Rifles, the Assam Regiment and 11 Gorkha Rifles.

The Indian Army's missile-capable T-90 Bhishma main battle tank (MBT), Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP II (Sarath), Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Akash Weapon System, Smerch Launcher Vehicles and Integrated Communication Electronic Warfare System (ICEWS) will be the main draw among the mechanised columns.

The Indian Air Force tableau will showcase its role in humanitarian rescue/relief operations in Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Yemen and Nepal by displaying models of the C-17 Globemaster, C-130J Super Hercules and the MI-17V5.

The Indian Navy's tableau will display flight deck operations on indigenous Vikrant aircraft carrier under construction at the Cochin Shipyard and the indigenously constructed Kalvari submarine by Mumbai's Mazagaon Dock Ltd. with a Made in India tag on them.

Tableaux from 17 States and six central ministries and departments will present the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country. They will also showcase country's progress in different fields.

For the first time the parade will also see an ex-servicemen's tableau.

--Indo-Asian New Service

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