JAIPUR: India’s military might lined a 3km stretch of Mahal Road in Jaipur’s Jagatpura on Thursday as the 78th Army Day Parade moved out of the confines of a cantonment to a public street for the first time in the annual event’s history.Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi took the salute at what was a spectacular parade of military equipment and a march-past by contingents representing various regimental centres, watched by a lakh-strong crowd lining the route.Five soldiers – Sub Maj Pawan Kumar of 25 Punjab Regiment, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh of 625 EME Battalion, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of 5 Field Regiment, Lance Naik Subhash Kumar from 7 Jat, and Lance Naik Pradeep Kumar of 1 Para (Special Force) – were posthumously conferred Sena medals for gallantry at the event.Overcome by emotion, Lance Naik Pradeep’s mother Ram Snehi fainted during the ceremony. Soldiers standing next to her promptly attended to the elderly woman and helped her get back on her feet.In another first, Bhairav Battalion contingents from Rajputana Rifles and Sikh Light Infantry joined the parade, showcasing the Army’s strategic shift towards warfare capabilities specifically designed for rapid, high-impact operations along the international borders. A fly-past by a fleet of different Army helicopters added aerial splendour to the event, which also featured Nepal Army Band. Chants of “Bharat Mata ki jai” rend the air when T-90 and Arjun tanks, upgraded Schilka air defence system, K-9 Vajra, all-terrain vehicles, and indigenous anti-tank missile Helina rolled past. Gen Dwivedi said the Army is continuously upgrading its capabilities and building “super specialists” in preparation for future warfare. He said Bhairav Battalion had been created to fill the gap between Ghatak and Special Forces.”The Army is fully ready for any kind of situation,” the Chief of Army Staff said. “What the country now needs is equipment designed and developed in India. Indigenisation is not just a goal; it has become a strategic necessity.”Gen Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor established “a new normal” by demonstrating the Army’s quick response, improved coordination and precise action.
