New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, an Indian tri-services contingent Thursday left for Paris to be part of the Bastille Day Parade next week.
A 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian armed forces will march alongside their French counterparts on 14 July at Champs-Elysées in Paris. The Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will also form part of the flypast during the parade.
PM Modi has been invited as the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade.
Bastille Day marks the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 during the French Revolution.
India and France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year. The armies of the two countries have been participating in joint exercises and sharing their experiences.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India’s defence imports from France went up over the years. Thirty percent of India’s defence imports were from France between 2018 and 2022, the SIPRI report said.
Representation of Indian forces
The Indian Army contingent comprising 77 marching personnel and 38 members of the band is led by Captain Aman Jagtap. Commander Vrat Baghel and Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy are heading the navy and air force contingents.
The Army contingent is represented by the Punjab Regiment, which is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army. The troops participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-Independence operations.
The Rajputana Rifles Regiment Band has accompanied the contingent. The regiment, the senior most rifle regiment of the Indian Army, has taken part in some of the bloodiest battles — including those in the two World Wars — ever fought.
During World War-II, the battalions of the regiment fought in every theatre where the Indian Army was involved. They are the recipients of six Victoria Cross prior to Independence. The band of the Regiment was raised in 1920 at Nasirabad (Rajasthan).
Military ties that go back years
The association between the Indian and the French armies dates back to World War-I. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in the war and almost 74,000 of them fought in the muddy trenches to never return again, while another 67,000 were wounded.
“Indian troops valiantly fought on French soil. Their courage, valour and supreme sacrifice not only thwarted the enemy but also significantly contributed towards winning the war,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
In World War-II, 2.5 million Indian soldiers made significant contributions in various theatres from Asia to Africa and Europe. This also included the battlefields of France. The Indian troops established their valour in these wars which was “well recognised in the form of several gallantry awards being bestowed on the Indian soldiers”, the MoD added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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