The 35th Infantry Regiment of France's 7th Armoured Brigade march on Rajpath.
For the first time in the history of the
Republic Day parade, a group of foreign soldiers marched down Rajpath shoulder to shoulder with the Indian troops: The French contingent - comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade. (
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The soldiers of the regiment, which was deployed in India between 1781 and 1784, was led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bury. The contingent was preceded by a pipes and drums comprising 48 musicians, led by Major Jean-Claude Leberruyer.
The French troops had been practicing for the parade for more than a week. They were in India initially for "Shakti 2016", a joint exercise on counter-terrorism and counter insurgency with Indian soldiers in Rajasthan, as part of the Indo-French collaboration in a number of areas including defence.
French President Francois Hollande is the chief guest for the Republic Day parade this year, marking the boost in Indo-French ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France last year.
The 35th Infantry Regiment's origin dates back to its raising in 1604 at Lorraine, France. The battalion has varied combat experiences, having served in Algeria, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, amongst other places. It has 12 battle honours to its credit.
Indian troops had taken part earlier on a similar occasion in France. On July 14, 2009, one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army - the Maratha light infantry - had marched down the Champs Elysee in Paris along with the French Army.
In 1789, the Bastille fortress was stormed on that day and it is considered the symbolic start to the French revolution.
During a three-day visit in April, PM Modi had visited the Neuve-Chapelle war memorial in Lille, where he paid homage to the 10,000 Indian soldiers martyred while fighting alongside the French during World War I. He also took a boat ride in river Seine along with Mr Hollande.
In November, he visited France again for the 12-day UN climate change summit.