A look at security arrangements in and around Delhi as it prepares to welcome Chief Guest Obama.
The crowd at the protest sites in Delhi's Singhu and Tikri borders was visibly thin on Thursday two days after the tractor parade turned violent, even though the farmer unions said it was because the protesters, who had come to the national capital to take part in January 26 march, have returned home.
Actor and activist Deep Sidhu, accused of being the key conspirator of the Red Fort violence on Republic Day last year, died in a road accident on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal highway near Kharkhoda in Haryana's Sonipat, police said.
The statements the separatists make, the abominable tableaux at their parades, the slogans, posters, and selfies with assault rifles are not India's problem. If they are a nuisance, it should bother their host countries, because they are armed and have their own underworld with deadly gang rivalries. Significantly, none of this happens in the US -- only in snowflaky Canada, points out Shekhar Gupta.
They had a van and two bullet motorcycle, and Coutinho said he overheard them talking about a terrorist act on Rajpath, New Delhi, on January 26 and 'to kill the DM' and bring 'Khalid Faisel, as in-charge' and to see 'who can save India'.
It also asked the farmer leaders to submit their response within three days, explaining why legal action should not be taken against them as they did not follow conditions set for the parade.
Unprecedented security measures were taken across Srinagar city, including Bharatiya Janata Party's professed flag-hoisting venue Lal Chowk and parade ground Bakshi stadium to ensure that the Republic Day was celebrated peacefully.
West Bengal celebrated the 66th Independence Day with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hoisting the tricolour at the Indira Gandhi Sarani in a departure from the traditional venue near Writers Buildings since 1948.
President Barack Obama's schedule is likely to undergo a change and he may now depart from Agra instead of Delhi as authorities have examined the feasibility of his Air Force One aircraft landing in the city of Taj Mahal.
Security personnel have also been deployed at the Red Fort.
In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast, Modi maintained that his government is committed to "modernising" farming and has been taking many steps.
These inspiring stories of women shattering the glass ceiling will make you believe in a brighter, gender positive future for India.
'After decades, there is movement on multiple fronts in artillery development. Now let us see how quickly we can get these guns into service'
Video footage of BCCI secretary Jay Shah appearing to turn down an offer to wave the national flag after India beat Pakistan in a thrilling cricket match at the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday has sparked a controversy, with Opposition leaders taking a dig at him.
Sisi will be the first Egyptian President and the fifth leader from the Middle-East to grace the Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest. He is scheduled to arrive in India on January 24.
The police had said there are videos where Sidhu can be allegedly seen to be present at the site of the incident.
Last year too, on the Republic Day, the prime minister walked down the Rajpath to greet people.
Police sought extension of his custodial interrogation, saying it was required for further investigation and to identify other accused persons in the case.
As many as 394 personnel of the force were injured while 30 police vehicles were damaged during the violent protests on that day, the Delhi Police has said.
Some groups of farmers started going back to their respective sit-in sites on Tuesday evening after hours of chaos during their tractor parade against the farm laws, but thousands of other protesters were still in several areas, including ITO, Nangloi and Mukarba Chowk, of the national capital.
A government order sent to telecom service providers directed temporary suspension of internet services in areas of Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, Mukarba Chowk and Nangloi and their adjoining areas in the NCT of Delhi from 12.00 hours to 23.59 hours on the Republic Day, according to the department of telecom.
The area is being screened with the help of sniper dogs and bomb disposal squads.
Barack Obama is "very excited" that he will be the first United States President to be honoured as the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
There has been indication that the US President may visit India in the next few months.
The family of a 25-year-old man, who died after his tractor overturned at Central Delhi's ITO during the protesting farmers' tractor parade on the Republic Day, moved the Delhi Court on Wednesday seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into the incident.
Khan was made an advisor in March last year when G C Murmu was the Lt Governor, and he continued in the post under Murmu's successor Manoj Sinha.
Police have announced cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information that can lead to the arrest of actors Deep Sidhu and three others in connection with the Republic Day violence in Delhi, officials said on Wednesday.
Shelar demanded that Desai's death should not be treated just as a case of accidental death, but must be dealt with from a larger perspective.
Along with the six personnel who have been awarded Shaurya Chakra, 19 personnel have been awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), 33 have been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and 77 have been awarded Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for their distinguished service, the Army noted.
It was one of the key promises made by the Congress ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, following which the party returned to power in the state after a gap of 15 years.
India on Thursday approved capital acquisition of a plethora of indigenously-developed military hardware including indigenous BrahMos missiles, marine diesel engine, artillery gun system, electronic warfare suits and utility helicopters at a cost of Rs 70,584 crore as part of a mega procurement plan.
Showing no signs of relenting, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday ruled out negotiations to end the stand off with the Centre and threatened to flood Rajpath with lakhs of supporters that can disrupt Republic Day celebrations.
The locals demanded that farmers vacate the Singhu border protest site as they had "insulted" the national flag during their tractor parade on Republic Day.
On display during the parade were the most sophisticated weapon systems and fighters, like Agni, Prithvi and BrahMos missiles, T-90 tanks, advanced light helicopter Dhruv, unmanned aerial vehicle Searcher MK-II and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets.
A seven-layer security ring is planned around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath from where United States President Barack Obama, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will watch the Republic Day parade next Monday.
'Patriotism is like love: When it has to be enforced, it isn't real.' 'And the enforcement of a homogeneous view of love for the country is a particularly divisive feature that has ripped apart societies throughout history.'
Renu Mittal reveals what conspired at the Congress camp after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal refused to move from his protest site in Delhi and threatened to disrupt the Republic Day celebrations.
The word was chosen by an advisory panel of language experts Kritika Agrawal, Poonam Nigam Sahay and Imogen Foxell.
Thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with police. Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.
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