No tableau for Jammu & Kashmir at R-day parade

Jammu and Kashmir, which became a Union Territory in 2019 did not have a tableau at the R-day parade in Delhi but Ladakh which was split from the former state showcased the famous Thaksin Monastery in Leh.

Srinagar: India's 72nd Republic Day witnessed grand parade at Rajpath in Delhi attended by President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The parade saw a tableau from Ladakh for the first time but Jammu and Kashmir did not have any. The Ladakh tableau showcased Thaksin Monastery in Leh. The monastery is considered to be a major centre of religious tourism in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

While the move was welcomed by Union ministers and political leaders from the region, the people from UT's Kargil district expressed displeasure for not giving "representation to the region's majority of the population" in the Republic Day tableau.

"The Muslim community has been ignored in Ladakh's tableau. This is an undemocratic and special representation of a particular community," a statement by Anjuman Jamiat ul Ulama Isna Ashraia Kargil - Ladakh read.

It further said, "As a mark of protest, we are holding our own Republic Day event. People from all walks of life should attend the event."

Meanwhile, the Republic Day celebrations held in Delhi today saw 32 tableaus, of which 17 were from States and Union Territories, nine from different ministries and six from the defence sector. However, for the first time in history, Jammu and Kashmir's tableau was missing in the parade.

"Today's event was held in a different atmosphere. There were reasons for this. Firstly, preventive measures against Covid-19 pandemic and secondly concerns over farmers' protests, " a senior official, Ministry of Defence, told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity.

"This time you may have noticed that the parade, which starts usually at Rajpath and ends at Red Fort, ended at the National Stadium today. Visitors number was also reduced to 25,000, earlier, it used to be over 1.5 lakh. Even children under the age of 15 were also not allowed to participate in the event," he added.

Speaking about Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "This time Gujarat, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Delhi and some other states were only present. Telangana, Orissa representations were not there. Only those states were selected that represented all four boundaries of India."

"Ladakh was included because it represents the northernmost region of India. There were no special guests this time. Hopefully, things will get better next year and we will be able to hold the ceremony again in the traditional way," he said.