‘Fight for India’s soul’
News Agency
New Delhi
Thousands of protesters have gathered in a predominantly-Muslim neighbourhood in India’s capital as the country celebrated Republic Day to commemorate the day its constitution came into effect.
Sarwari, 75, who goes by her first name, was among a group of women invited on Sunday to unfurl the tricolour – India’s national flag – amid loud chants of the national anthem at Shaheen Bagh, the main site of protest in New Delhi.
About 15 kilometres (nine miles) away in the heart of the capital, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind hosted his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro, the Republic Day chief guest this year, as they watched the annual parade aimed at showcasing India’s military might and cultural diversity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who the protesters accuse of pursuing a Hindu supremacist agenda, also attended the government event.
