77,000 witness Republic Day parade; Delhi covered in thick security blanket

The buzz for the parade on the Kartavya Path began early in the morning as queues started as early as 4 a.m. The Ministry of Defence had issued more than 77,000 passes, including 32,000 passes that were sold and 10,000 special invitees.

Eager to see the bravado of the defence forces, children, especially girls, came dressed in the colours of the national flag.

A group of students of fourth grade marched from the Central Secretariat metro station to the Kartavya Path at 7 a.m., singing “Vande Matram” in unison. “I am very excited to see the fighter jets, and the Army’s daredevils on motorcycles. I even made my sister paint a tiranga on my face early in morning,” Kshitij Nagar, an eight-year-old dressed up as an army personnel, said.

Republic Day 2025 highlights

Ahead of the parade, an army contingent participating in it started their day with a prayer on the lawns of India Gate, where Army tankers had been parked. A small table was set up adjacent to the tankers for prayers as the army personnel paid their respects to god.

Thick layer of security

More than 15,000 personnel had been deployed across the national capital to strengthen security, aided by CCTV cameras and drones in monitoring. Entry to the event included a four-layer security check and frisking. Wallets were checked for coins, keys and other non-permissible items. Bags were not allowed. Many had reached as early as 5 a.m. anticipating the security measures and overcrowding. Delhi Police’s duty began at 3 a.m. when they put up barriers across the venue and set up security checkpoints.

Vehicle trunks and bottoms were checked at several police checkpoints set up before they could reach Kartavya Path.

Several traffic advisories had been issued that barred entry of vehicles in certain stretches of the capital while many were requested to opt for public transportation. The Delhi metro was operational from 4 a.m.

For smooth running of the event, police had set up missing persons booths, helpdesks, first-aid kiosks, and separate facilitation booths, where visitors can deposit their vehicle keys.

While police set up tight security, a few visitors claimed their Aadhaar cards weren’t checked at the security checkpoints.

More than 2,500 CCTV cameras equipped with data-based facial recognition and video analytics had been installed and anti-drone systems covered a four-km radius to detect and deactivate aerial threats.

Snipers had been installed on rooftops. More than 200 buildings along the parade route had been sealed, with residential windows facing the route also secured, police said.

Commandos, quick reaction teams, PCR vans, anti-sabotage checks and SWAT teams had been deployed at strategic locations along Kartavya Path and across the city.

Sense of pride

The event, which kicked off 10 a.m., witnessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting special invitees waiting for President Droupadi Murmu and the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. A sense of joy among the special invitees, who included citizens from various states, athletes from Paralympics Contingent and Winners of International Sports Events, Sarpanchs from top performing villages, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, Finalists of the National School Band Competitions and Disaster Relief worker, etc, was visible. Several of them said they travelled from their home states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tripura and more, to witness the parade in person, something which they had only seen on TV before.

With their cameras up, ready to take videos of the performances, defence contingents and aerial performances, many recounted how special the entire procession was. For Sneha, a student at Delhi University, it was her first Republic Day, which she said was “enthralling.” “From the march past to tableaux, and the motor stunts and Rafale…it looked beautiful and I felt a sense of pride…after having watched Republic Day celebrations on TV…” Sneha says. Sneha says she captured everything on her mobile phone to later post on social media.

Celebrations after the parade

As the parade goers exited the Kartavya Path, celebrations by dancers and other participants began. Despite the overbearing sun and early morning chills, the dancers, many of whom performed barefoot in heavy costumes on the road leading up to India Gate, and other participants, kept the audience thrilled, waving at them while never missing a beat.

M. Gayathri, a 20-year-old student, had come from Andhra Pradesh to Delhi, 28 days before the parade. She was part of “Jayati Jaya Mamah Bharatam”, the cultural celebration which concluded the parade. The cold or heat did not matter to her as she says “During the performance, all I could think of was the smile on my parents faces and everyone else at home watching the dance on TV. It was an absolute honour to perform that I will carry for the rest of my life.”

Various defence bands could be heard playing their instrument in restricted areas and cheering loudly for each other.

Many of the participants were practising for months to make the event a success, and as the day concluded, still in costume, they beamed with a sense of accomplishment and pride as parade goers clicked selfies with them.