Republic day: ITBP jawans marched on a frozen lake with the Indian tricolour early on Tuesday.
As India celebrates its 72nd Republic Day, its jawans are joining in by hoisting flags in some of the country's most remote and inhospitable areas where they stand guard all year round, including Ladakh.
In the icy upper reaches of Ladakh, at a height of 17,000 feet where temperature stood at minus 25 degrees Celsius, the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) marched on a frozen lake with the Indian tricolour early on Tuesday morning.
"Bharat Mata ki Jai (Long live India)", chanted the men and women of the border patrol force ITBP.
On the eve of Republic Day on Monday, 17 ITBP personnel were also awarded police service medals in various categories.
Two officers, Assistant Commandant Anurag Kumar Singh and Deputy Commandant Rajesh Kumar Luthra were decorated with police medals for gallantry, three with the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and 12 with police medals for Meritorious Service.
The ITBP contingent is also a part of the Republic Day Parade in Delhi, where a shortened programme is being held at Rajpath amid the coronavirus pandemic. The programme began at 9am and is expected to conclude after the traditional fly past 11.25 am.
Apart from a reduced list of events, Delhi's Republic Day parade will also have a shorter route, no chief guest, fewer spectators, no children under 15 in the annual parade, and fewer soldiers in the Army and Navy contingents.
However, the newly inducted Rafale fighter jet will be among the many stars on show, as will a Bangladeshi tri-service contingent that will lead the parade on the 50th anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan war.