West Bengal celebrates 70th R-Day

Kolkata, Jan 26 (IANS) West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi unfurled the tricolour and took the ceremonial salute as the state celebrated the 70th Republic Day on Saturday.

Amidst stringent security, Tripathi inspected a guard of honour and unfurled the Indian flag as the national anthem reverberated across the arterial Indira Gandhi Sarani to kickstart a colourful parade.

Units from the Army, Navy and Air Force took part in the parade displaying sophisticated weapons in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her ministerial colleagues, Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay, senior bureaucrats, police officers and members of the diplomatic corps.

Several contingents of the Kolkata and West Bengal Police, Border Security Force, traffic sergeants, fire brigade, and NCC Cadets also participated.

School students presented brief but highly interesting cultural road shows.

Earlier in a tweet, Mamata Banerjee called for cherishing the "idea of India" for which freedom fighters had laid down their lives to end colonial rule.

"Our people and our great institutions must strive to remain ‘independent"’, in the true sense of the word," she said.

The national flag was hoisted at various union and state government offices, and political party headquarters to mark the day.