Violence, strike overshadow Indian Republic Day

NEW DELHI, Jan 26: Religious, caste and separatist violence overshadowed India's Republic Day celebrations today creating a mood of soul-searching on a day of pride, report Reuters, AFP.

"A dark R-day dawn," the Daily Pioneer proclaimed over a picture of the grieving wife and daughter of an Australian Christian missionary who was burnt alive with his two sons by a mob of Hindu zealots at the weekend.

President K R Narayanan was all smiles as he stepped into his car after an elaborate parade on Raj Path, the tree-lined avenue that cuts a broad swathe through the heart of New Delhi.

But just hours earlier, in an annual address to the nation, he had made an impassioned plea for religious tolerance.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leader of the coalition government, is under fire for its links with groups accused of fomenting violence against India's tiny Christian community.

Violence erupted in the insurgency-torn northeast of the country ahead of Republic Day, as it has done for many years.

Police said guerillas of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) blew up an oil pipeline and heavily armed militants also killed two paramilitary soldiers in an ambush.

ULFA, fighting for self-rule in Assam state, was one of seven separatist groups in the region to call for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations and a 17-hour general strike.

Around 50,000 security forces were deployed at the weekend to pre-empt any Republic Day violence.

Separatist and ethnic violence in the seven states making up the northeast region has claimed more than 75,000 lives since Indian independence in 1947.

A joint statement by separatist groups had asked the local population to observe republic day as "Indian occupation day."

In response, the governments of all seven states issued a communique ordering state employees to attend official ceremonies, warning that absentees would be viewed "as aiding and abetting a war against the state."

In the troubled northern state of Kashmir, also wracked by a separatist drive, official Republic Day celebrations passed off without a hitch, amid tight security and a general strike called by Muslim rebel and political groups.

Police removed a landmine from a road in the Kashmiri capital Srinagar, near the venue of the official celebrations, which were attended by a handful of police and paramilitary officers.

Kashmiris boycotted all functions and stayed indoors.

Tight security was imposed throughout the state, where more than 24,000 people have died in secessionist-linked violence since 1989.

Security blanketed central New Delhi for the Republic Day show of military might.

Over 10,000 security personnel lined the route of the parade and its chief guest, Nepal's king Birendra, looked on with Indian leaders from a bullet-proof stand.

Tanks and armoured cars rolled by fighter jets roared through a wintry blue sky and helicopters hovered overhead, showering crowd of thousands with rose petals.

The highlight of the military showcase was the full range of locally developed missiles, including the ballistic missile Agni, a sleek 30 metres with a bright red nose.

The government, which carried out nuclear tests last year, says it is committed to developing the 2,500-km range Agni, Western experts say it could carry nuclear warheads.