Republic Day 2021: No shoulder to shoulder march-past by NSG commandos this year

Due to coronavirus, this year's Republic Day Parade will be a little out of the ordinary. The NSG, the elite force of India for counter-terror operations, has decided to make changes for the parade as per the COVID-19 health protocols.

Earlier, the NSG commandos marched down Rajpath shoulder-to-shoulder, but this time they wil be marching with a distance of more than 1.5 metres from each other as per the COVID-19 protocols.

Almost 40 percent of the actual strength of the commandos will participate in the Republic Day Parade as compared to the previous year. A bunch of commandos along with senior Indian Army and Paramilitary officers reach Rajpath at 5 am in the morning every day and practice till 10 am.

"We reach here at 5 am and start our practice. It is a daily routine for us. There is not much difference. After reaching Rajpath we practice again and again till our marching is flawless. Officers minutely observed every commando to make the march past flawless," a senior NSG official said.

"This year on Republic Day, we will be having more vehicles than the previous year. People will see a different energy contingent along with modified specially designed vehicles which are to be used for anti-terror operations," the official added. 

NSG commandos sweat for at least 5 hours to give a flawless marching past on Republic Day at the majestic Rajpath, which is a hub nowadays for forces taking part in the Republic Day parade as their practice venue. 

Meanwhile, it is the first time in  55 years that India is unlikely to have any chief guest for the Republic Day parade.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was invited to the parade but decided to cancel his visit amid the spread of the new, more contagious mutant strain of the novel coronavirus.

The last time the parade did not have a chief guest was in 1966 when Indira Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister on January 24 after the demise of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on January 11. In 1952 and 1953 also, the Republic Day parade did not have a chief guest.

Some media reports suggest that the Indian-origin President of Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, is likely to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade on January 26. But there is no official conformation on this as of now.

(With ANI inputs)