ITBP, SSB to be absent from R-Day parade, NSG to make debut

Guardians of India's frontiers BSF, ITBP and SSB will not be taking part in the Republic Day parade this year, a Defence Ministry official said on Tuesday.

However, the multi-hued caparisoned Camel Contingent of the Border Security Force (BSF) will as usual walk down Rajpath.

Five contingents from the forces under the Home Ministry will be participating in the Republic Day parade this year, according to the official.

These contingents will be from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police, BSF's Camel Contingent and the elite National Security Guard (NSG).

The NSG, an elite counter-terror force raised in 1984, will make their debut in the parade this year and have the famed Black Cat Commandos marching in the parade.

This is the second year in a row when the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will be missing from the Republic Day parade.

Home Ministry officials, however, said a decision on participation in the parade is a prerogative of the Defence Ministry, and called it a "routine matter".

With Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan as the chief guest at the parade this year, a marching contingent from the United Arab Emirates is also likely to participate, though a confirmation has not been received yet in this regard, the official added.

Altogether, there will be 23 tableaux -- 17 from different states and six from the ministries, apart from those of the armed forces.

--IANS

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