IAF’s Rafale fighter jet flies past Rajpath, during the 72nd Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Tuesday | Pti nagapattinam l wednesday l january 27, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION India celebrates 72nd R-Day Showcases military might, cultural heritage at Republic Day parade Rafale aircraft makes debut on R-Day flypast Rafale fighter jets took part in the Republic Day flypast for the first time as the armed forces showcased its T-90 tanks, the Samvijay electronic warfare system and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets on the 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday 17 tableaux from states and union territories, nine from different Union ministries and paramilitary forces also took part in the parade There were six tableaux of the defence ministry, including two by the Defence Research and Development Organisation A first on many counts This year, attendance to the parade was limited due to the pandemic. Those below 15 years of age and above 65 were not allowed among the visitors at the venue The contingents only marched a distance of 3.5 km instead of the usual 8.5 km and for the first time in 55 years A 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh armed forces marched on Rajpath, carrying the legacy of legendary muktijoddhas, who fought and liberated the country in 1971 No foreign dignitary attended the Jan 26 parade Ram temple replica on Rajpath Uttar Pradesh’s tableau showcased the replica of Ayodhya’s Ram temple The bedecked tableau was fronted by a sitting model of Maharishi Valmiki and the temple model occupied a large portion on the rear side Army, Navy, Air Force showcase their strength Army showcased its main battle tank T-90 Bhishma, infantry combat vehicle BMP-II-Sarath, mobile autonomous launcher of the BrahMos missile system, multi-launcher rocket system Pinaka, electronic warfare system Samvijay The Navy’s tableau at the Republic Day parade this year displayed models of INS Vikrant and naval operations that were conducted during the 1971 India-Pakistan war The Air Force exhibited models of light combat aircraft Tejas and indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile Dhruvastra on its tableaus during the parade Scaled-down models of the Light Combat Helicopter, Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet and Rohini radar were also part of the IAF tableaux A total of 38 IAF aircraft, include Rafale, and four planes of the Indian Army participated in the flypast 25,000 Maximum spectators allowed for this year’s Republic Day The ceremony began with PM Narendra Modi laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, Army chief Gen M M Naravane, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria were also present CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Unprecedented violence in Delhi as thousands of people break barriers and take detours from their kisan tractor parade to enter the heart of the city, fight pitched battles with security forces; clamber up the historic Red Fort to fly their religious flag; one farmer dead, at least 86 police personnel injured mobs hijack tractor parade Blow-by-blow account E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi 8:30 am: Farmers begin tractor Republic Day that is marked by pomp and show in front of stately government edifices and seats of power turned into a day of anarchy when thousands of farmers entered the heart of Delhi much ahead of the agreed time and after deviating from pre-determined routes. What was promised to be a peaceful tractor rally at agreed routes was anything but that as the protesters, who outnumbered the police in all the three routes, defied tear gassing and lathicharge. They breached barricades and clashed with the police at several locations. By the end of the day, one farmer had died, an unspecified number of them injured and 86 police personnel were hurt, some of them critically, the police said. The farmers riding tractors, S U V s a n d t wo - w h e e l e r s breached security cordons and barricades, entering Delhi before 12 noon, the agreed time for their rally The first breach . happened from the Singhu border in north Delhi, when farmers forced their way through. This was followed by protesters entering the city from Ghazipur in East Delhi. Once in the city, the protesters clashed with the police first in ITO, central Delhi. They used their tractors to break the police barricades. Buses parked in the middle of the road to ob- march at all three borders — Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur — much before the agreed time of 12 noon; break barricades, try to push across cement dividers placed by Delhi Police 10.50 am: Mob forcibly tries to enter Outer Ring Road, clashes with police; policemen resort to caning, firing tear gas shells 11.30 am: Farmers from Ghazipur enter Delhi via Akshardham flyover; mob breaks barricades, cement blocks, central median; faces police batons and tear gas 1.30-2.00 pm: Hundreds of Clockwise from left: Farmers gather at Red Fort on Tuesday; protesters clash with police near Mukarba Chowk; and an overturned tractor at ITO in central Delhi that killed its driver | PTI , SHEKHAR YADAV struct them were vandalised and it was here that Navneet Singh, a farmer driving a tractor died. While the police said he died as his tractor turned turtle, the farmers alleged that Navneet was killed in police firing. The protesters draped his body in the Tricolour and sat in protest for several hours in the middle of the road. The scene then shifted to the historic Red Fort, where both sides fought pitched battles. Hundreds of farmers entered the fort, reached the rampart and hoisted their flag where the Prime Minister every Independence Day hoists the na- tional flag and addresses the nation. “About 200 artists and kids who got stranded inside Red fort were safely rescued by the Delhi Police. These artists came here for the Republic Day parade. The police first took them to a nearby hotel in Daryaganj to have food and then carefully rescued them to their destination,” said DCP North Anto Alphonse. The police later suspended power supply to the Red Fort to evict the farmers. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella organisation of all the 40 farm unions distanced itself from the violence and blamed anti-social elements. Later in the evening it said they had called off their rally and asked all the farmers to return to the borders. A leader of the morcha said it was the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Commitee (KMSC) that broke the set route. But KMSC secretary S S Pannu said they had decided to march on the Ring Road and came back to the Singhu border. AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah condemned the violence and said the farmers had been holding a peaceful agitation for the past several weeks. Shocking scenes in Delhi. The violence by some elements is unacceptable. It’ll negate goodwill generated by peacefully protesting farmers. Kisan leaders have disassociated themselves & suspended #TractorRally We strongly condemn the violence seen in today’s protest. It is regrettable that the Central government allowed the situation to deteriorate to such an extent Actor Deep Sidhu incited the youth to take over the agitation and give it a different colour. He damaged our agitation. We don’t know who they are working for Amarinder Singh, Punjab chief minister Aam Aadmi Party Joginder Singh Ugrahan, BKU (Ugrahan) chief T h e R e p u b l i c D ay s h o c k e r Delhi Police registers 4 first information reports Flagrant violation of terms for kisan rally The Delhi Police registered four FIRs in connection with the violence. “Three FIRs were registered in east district and one in Shahdara district on Tuesday,” a police official said l Tractor rally was permitted to start only after official R-Day parade, but a section of the protestors jumped the gun Paramilitary deployment A meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah decided to deploy additional paramilitary troops in the wake of the violence. Around 1,500 to 2,000 personnel could be deployed l Tractors violated the agreement on not carrying more than five persons l No weapons were to be carried, another stipulation that was completely ignored l Routes were clearly defined, but mobs took detours, violently confronting the police people reach Kashmeri Gate; break barricades, enter Red Fort and hoist Khalsa flag and national flag at the pole where the PM hoists the Tricolour every Independence Day 1.00-2.00 pm: Another group reaches ITO crossing; clashes break out between police and farmers; buses, police vehicles smashed by the mob; a farmer dies after his tractor turns turtle as it rams into a barricade 3.00 pm-5.00 pm: Farmers staged a sit-in protest demanding justice, martyr status, apology from Delhi Police for the farmer’s death 4 pm: Farmers removed from Red Fort 4.30 pm: Home minister Amit Shah reviews situation with home secretary & Delhi Police Internet services suspended for 12 hours 6.30 pm: Farmers disperse The Centre suspended internet services in parts of Delhi, including Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri and their adjoining areas, for 12 hours from Tuesday noon. Internet clampdown was also ordered in Haryana 7.30 pm: Samyukta Kisan from ITO Morcha calls off march Indian growth to be the world’s fastest, says IMF Guv unfurls Tricolour, CM presents State awards at Marina R-Day fete 2022 to 6.8%. IMF Chief Economist Gita The International Monetary Gopinath said India seems to Fund (IMF) on Tuesday revised be having a faster pace of reits India’s growth rate projec- covery than previously thought. tion for 2021 to a decent 11.5% “We are seeing India come back from 8.8% it had projected ear- to its 2019 levels and 2021,” lier on the back of the Gopinath said. She, howcountry’s “stronger than ever, noted that cumulaexpected recovery”. tively by the end of 2022, It also improved its India’s rate will be 9% forecast for India’s curbelow its pre-pandemic rent fiscal to 8% GDP projected level. contraction from The IMF said the 10.3% negative growth global economy is proprojected in its Octo- 5.5% growth jected to grow 5.5% in for global ber World Economic 2021 and 4.2% in 2022. economy Outlook report. “The 2021 forecast is According to the Global economy revised up 0.3 percentIMF, India is the only age point relative to is projected to major economy in the grow at 5.5% in the previous forecast, world that can regis- 2021 and 4.2% in reflecting expectater a double-digit tions of a vaccine2022, reflecting growth in 2021. China expectations of a powered strengthenis next with 8.1% vaccine-powered ing of activity later in growth in 2021 fol- strengthening of the year and additionlowed by Spain (5.9%) al policy support in a business and France (5.5%). few large economies,” activities, the The latest projecit added. IMF said | P9 tions give India the The IMF, however, tag of the fastest developing warned that delays in vaccine economy in the world. rollout, widespread hesitancy The projections are also in in inoculation, shorter-than anline with the Centre’s assess- ticipated immunity from the ment of a strong revival in the vaccines could be a downside coming months, aided by the risk to recovery. It adds that recent vaccine approvals. winding down of policy supAfter a stupendous rebound port before economic recovery in 2021, the IMF said India’s could further hurt global GDP growth is likely to slow in growth. E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami greets Governor Banwarilal Purohit on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day celebrations at Marina in Chennai on Tuesday ACROBATIC display by the Tamil Nadu police on motorbikes, cultural programmes, pageantry procession of floats by various departments and a ceremonial march-past by the contingents of armed forces, city police, and others, marked the 72nd Republic Day celebrations at the Marina Beach in Chennai on Tuesday . Governor Banwarilal Puro- Pondy MLAs mass bunk R-Day event d e b j a n i d u t ta @ Puducherry IT was an eventful Republic Day for most of India, marked by festivities, protests, and events. The beach town of Puducherry, however, stayed aloof from all that action, minding its own problems. The situation was such that most elected representatives did not even bother to turn up for the flag hoisting ceremony on Tuesday morning. When Lt Governor Kiran Bedi unfurled the Tricolour at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, the only elected representatives present were Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Speaker VP Sivakozhunthu. Rest of the ministers, MLAs of ruling as well as Opposition parties, former legislators — all of them were absent. In fact, most chairs reserved for Puducherry Civil Services officers were also vacant. When asked about this, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy simply said that he and the Speaker were duty-bound to attend the function. “As for others, you need to check with them.” The absence assumes significance considering the current political imbroglio in the UT. P4 Most chairs remained empty at the R-Day event in Puducherry | G PATTABI RAMAN hit unfurled the Tricolour in presence of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who presented State awards to many achievers. Though the government had advised students and elders to stay away from Republic Day fete citing Covid threat, a sizeable crowd turned up at the venue. At around 8 am, the Governor and the CM drove past the invitees’ enclosures. A low-lying Indian Air Force helicopter showered rose petals when the Governor unfurled the national flag. The Governor also took salutes from as many as 30 contingents of the Army Navy Air , , Force, CRPF, CIST, RPF, Greater Chennai Police, and others. Art forms such as dollu kunitha from Karnataka, lambadi and gussadi dances from Telangana, thiruvathirakkali from Kerala, badhai and rathwa from Gujarat, and silambattam and karagam from Tamil Nadu, were among the highlights of the celebrations. P4 fuel prices up by 35 paise, inching towards `100 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Petrol price was raised by 35 paise in the national capital on Tuesday pushing , it to an all-time high of `86.05 per litre. Likewise, the price of one litre of diesel was increased by a similar amount to `76.23 from `75.88. According to data available, Tuesday’s petrol price is the highest ever recorded in Delhi, while diesel price is at a record high in Mumbai. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel prices were `92.62 and `83.03, respectively on Tues, day In Chennai, one litre of . petrol was retailed at `88.60 while diesel was sold for `81.47. It needs to be mentioned that bulk of the fuel price — 67% in case of petrol and 61% for diesel — goes towards various taxes, dealer commission and freight charges. The base price of petrol and diesel remains below `30 per litre.