Glorious fly past by Indian Air force and daredevil motorcycle stunts at Rajpath has stunned the nation on the occasion of the Republic Day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the martyrs by placing wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in India Gate.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa graced the occasion as the chief guest who was invited by  Prime Minister Modi during the meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina last year.

According to reports, this  was the first major national event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections due in April-May.

The 90-minute parade in the Republic Day 2019 included 22 tableaux of states and central government departments. School children also performed on the occasion.

The march past began at 9:50 am amid unprecedented security across the national capital. Over 25,000 policemen deployed in the city in the wake of arrest of two suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in New Delhi.