DATE=1/26/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT/L-ONLY
TITLE=INDIA / REPUBLIC DAY (L)
NUMBER=2-258442
BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Amid parades and tight security, Indians
Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the adoption
of their constitution. Republic Day observances were
held throughout the country and -- despite threats of
violence from separatist groups -- there were few
disruptions. V-O-A's Jim Teeple reports separatist
militants in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir did
cause minor disruptions and a strike call by the
separatists kept most people at home.
TEXT:
//BUGLES.EST AND FADE UNDER TEXT //
TEXT: India's leaders remembered the country's war
dead at a solemn ceremony in New Delhi. Republic Day
observances in the capital were held under some of the
tightest security measures seen in years.
More than 50 thousand police and paramilitary troops
sealed off the Republic Day parade route and all air
traffic was banned in the capital area for much of the
day. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was
India's guest of honor at the parade, which featured
floats from different Indian states as well as the
latest in military technology -- including the Indian-
built Agni-two ballistic missile, which is believed to
have a range of two thousand kilometers.
Sniffer dogs and their handlers combed New Delhi's
train and bus terminals following the discovery of a
small bomb on the Republic Day parade route and the
arrest of a man said to be carrying bomb-making
material earlier in the week. Along India's border
with Pakistan -- where troops from both countries have
been exchanging artillery and mortar fire over the
past several days -- Indian troops were said to be on
a state of high alert.
In the State of Jammu and Kashmir several rockets were
fired at a stadium in Jammu, where Republic Day
observances were to be held. However, the rockets
landed harmlessly in a nearby riverbed. Another rocket
fired near the Jammu airport also failed to cause any
damage. The militant separatist group Hizbul
Mujahedin claims responsibility for the attacks. In
Srinigar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir,
shops were closed and streets deserted following a
strike call by the All Party Huriyet Conference, which
opposes Indian rule in Kashmir.
// OPT // Authorities say one paramilitary soldier
was killed and several others wounded early Wednesday
in an attack by militant separatists 75 kilometers
south of Srinigar. India blames Pakistan for
sponsoring attacks in the area -- a charge Pakistan
denies. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, the top
elected official in Jammu and Kashmir -- Chief
Minister Farooq Abdullah -- said he believed only a
war with Pakistan will end the attacks. // END OPT
//
Elsewhere, shops were closed and public areas deserted
in five northeast Indian states where eight tribal
separatist groups also called an 18-hour strike to
protest Indian rule. Authorities in the northeast say
there were several deaths related to separatist
violence and several bomb attacks by separatists.
(Signed)
neb/jlt/wd
26-Jan-2000 06:46 AM EDT (26-Jan-2000 1146 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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