Contingents led by women officers to salute PM Modi at Unity Day Parade

In a display of women empowerment in the security forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive a ceremonial salute from contingents of police and paramilitary forces, all of them led by woman officers, during the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade on Friday.

The National Unity Day parade, which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, will be organised at Kevadia's Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, where the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity stands.

The large campus is all set to celebrate the day with the ceremonial parade that will focus on the strength of women in uniform.

This year's parade commander is Simran Bhardwaj, a 2022 batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre and currently posted as Additional Superintendent of Police in Rajkot.

Women will command all the contingents, including paramilitary forces like BSF, CISF, ITBP, CRPF and SSB, and police contingents from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

A contingent of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) will also participate in the parade.

"It is an honour and a great opportunity to participate in the parade on this momentous occasion," Bhardwaj told a visiting group of reporters here.

To many, this is the moment of a lifetime. Nadiya Farooq, an officer of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Service, said, “We are excited as this is the first time that I am taking part in a parade outside of Jammu and Kashmir and that too in front of the Prime Minister." Garima Dadar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, who will command the Chhattisgarh Police contingent, said it was a proud moment for her when she was shortlisted through a tough process.

"It is a great opportunity to lead the Chhattisgarh Police contingent at the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade," she said.

Similar views were echoed by Assam Police Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhusmita Deka, who will lead her state's contingent at the parade. "It is an honour to lead the Assam Police contingent," she said.

The parade will also have CISF and CRPF women personnel performing martial arts and unarmed combat drills, highlighting the "strength and courage of India's daughters."

Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first home minister and deputy prime minister, is also known as the "Iron Man of India" for his role in bringing 562 princely states to join the Indian Union post-Independence.

Nestled between the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges, Ekta Nagar in Narmada district of Gujarat reflects the concept of unity in diversity, blending natural beauty with cultural richness.

The parade will also see PM Modi receiving a salute from 16 BSF personnel who were awarded gallantry medals for their participation in Operation Sindoor.

The parade will showcase a marching contingent of Indian breed dogs from the BSF, including the celebrated Mudhol hound Riya which recently won the All India Police Dog Competition.

Rampur hounds and Mudhol hounds will demonstrate their skills at the event, which will include a spectacular air show by the Surya Kiran team of the Indian Air Force.

The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team was formed in 1996 and is among the very few nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, and the only one of its kind in Asia.

The parade will also feature a motorcycle daredevil show by Assam Police, and a camel mounted contingent and band by the BSF.

Ten tableaux from various states and union territories, including the NSG and NDRF, will reinforce the theme of unity in diversity.

Thousands of police personnel have been practicing for over a month for the flawless execution of the ceremony, which was recently previewed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka during a full dress rehearsal.