Tricolour soars from Kashmir to Kerala as India marks R-Day

Soldiers braved freezing temperatures to unfurl the Tricolour at border outposts, security personnel exchanged sweets with their Pakistani and Bangladeshi counterparts, and states outlined their development agendas ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as India marked its 75th Republic Day with pomp and zeal on Friday.

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Videos shared by paramilitary forces showed troops celebrating with the national flag at the peaks of the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh and various outposts along the international border in Jammu & Kashmir. There was no traditional exchange of sweets or pleasantries between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers along the International Border (IB) in J&K, with officials attributing it to the recent ceasefire violations in which a BSF jawan was killed.

In the Fulbari region of West Bengal's Siliguri, BSF jawans exchanged sweets with their Bangladesh counterparts.

At the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar, a Beating Retreat ceremony marked the conclusion of the celebrations amid thousands of spectators.

In every state capital, governments marked the occasion with official ceremonies and called upon the people to work for the development of their regions and the country.

In Jammu, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the government is committed to uprooting terrorism and efforts are underway for a final assault to eradicate the "unholy proxy war sponsored by a neighbouring country".