Newly opened Indian Embassy of Djibouti celebrates Republic Day onboard INS Sumedha

The Indian Navy on Monday, January 27, announced that next-generation offshore patrolling vessel, INS Sumedha which has been mission deployed at the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrolling, participated in the 71st Republic Day celebrations for the first time at the newly established Indian embassy at Djibouti (Country in Eastern Africa).

The Indian Navy also took to its official Twitter handle and shared the pictures of the Republic Day celebrations on the vessel.

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Tweeting further, the Indian Navy also informed about the instrumental role played by INS Sumedha in the recent rescue of the crew which also had 13 Indian citizens from a drifting private vessel in early January. 

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INS Sumedha Rescues 13 Indian Crew Members

According to the official site of the Indian Navy, a boarding team with a naval technical team embarked on Al-Hamid for routine checks onboard and render assistance. The technical team assessment further revealed that a traditional wooden vessel known as 'Dhow' had suffered a broken engine shaft after which it was towed to safety away from the Somali coast. 

The official site stated, "A traditional wooden vessel known as Al-Hamid was detected on January 6 by an Indian Navy helicopter launched from the deck of INS Sumedha, which confirmed that the vessel was in distress and drifting near the coast of Somalia.”

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71st Republic day celebrations

Marking a first, PM Modi had paid tribute to fallen warriors at the National War Memorial which was inaugurated in February 2019. CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, Air Force Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhaduria were present.

After hoisting the flag at the viewing platform at Rajpath, India witnessed its states' pride and the Indian Army's firepower in its 90-minute parade. 22 tableaux — six by central ministries and departments and 16 by states and Union Territories were paraded on Rajpath. The states which rolled onto Rajpath were Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.

This Republic Day witnessed several firsts. These include - Prime Minister paid tribute at National War Memorial, Tania Shergill - the first woman parade adjutant, DRDO contingent showcasing ASAT, Contingent of women bikers of CRPF, Tri-service formation andTableau of Jal Shakti Ministry. While the entire country has been torn by the recent protests against the amended Citizenship Act, Republic Day was celebrated with pomp throughout the nation. 

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