New Delhi: Barring two low-intensity blasts in Assam, Republic Day celebrations today passed off peacefully across the country even as the states showcased the cultural diversity and the might of security forces.
Amid multi-tier security, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra took the salute at the Maulana Azad stadium in Jammu with no untoward incident being reported from any part of the state.
For the first time in a decade, mobile phone and Internet services were not disrupted in the Kashmir Valley as part of the security drill for the celebrations which took place at Bakshi stadium in Srinagar and other district headquarters.
At three points along the Line of Control (LoC), Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged sweets even though areas along the border in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed regular ceasefire violations and infiltration bids from Pakistan.
In the oil town of of Digboi in upper Assam's Tinsukia district, two low-intensity bombs exploded but no damage or casualty was reported.
While one blast took place under dumped garbage near a railway track, the other occurred in a drain under the garbage there, Senior Superintendent of Police AP Tiwari said.
In his Republic Day speech, the J-K Governor said that cross-border factors were responsible for the hurdles in development of the state, even as he stressed on the need for maintenance of peace and public order for sustained growth.
In other state capitals, Governors and chief ministers asked militant and naxalite groups to shun violence and return to the mainstream for development and welfare of the people.
Vohra said, "It is a matter for serious concern that the past year witness ..
In Imphal, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh appealed to the insurgent groups to shun violence for the development of the state, saying violence will not bring any good and only make people suffer.
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