New Delhi - Explosions were heard in radius of about 10 kilometres after an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jet dropped five bombs at Gugdi in Barmer district of Rajasthan on Tuesday.
Initial reports suggest that the bombs accidently slipped out of the jet which was on a sortie over the area. No casualties have been reported so far.
A Defence official said that between 10:30 am and 11:00 am, an “unidentified balloon shaped object was picked up by IAF radar.” A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet was scrambled for the mission, “which intercepted the object and brought it down.” The official said that further investigation is under process.
Meanwhile, a “balloon” shaped object was also “brought down” in Pali district. SP, Pali, Deepak Bhargav said that “the IAF brought down a balloon between 3:00 - 3:30 pm in Tivoli village. Our SHO escorted the IAF personnel in bringing the balloon to the Air Base in Jodhpur.”
Meanwhile, thousands gathered in New Delhi amid tight security Tuesday for India’s annual Republic Day parade, a pomp-filled spectacle of military might featuring camels and daredevil stunt riders, with French President Francois Hollande the chief guest.
A contingent of French infantry in India for joint military exercises led the march down the capital’s central Rajpath avenue, the first time foreign troops have ever taken part in the parade.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Hollande in a show of solidarity with France after attacks in Paris last November killed 130 - recalling a 2008 assault on Mumbai that killed 166.
The two leaders agreed in talks Monday to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks and a deadly siege this month on an Indian air force base near the Pakistan border.
The mood on Tuesday was more celebratory, with Modi - sporting a gold turban that rivalled the spectacular military headgear on display - and Hollande chatting as they sat side by side in a bulletproof glass enclosure.
An estimated 10,000 spectators braved thick smog and air quality levels classified as hazardous on the US embassy website to watch the display, the highlight of annual celebrations of the birth of modern India.