Scaled down I-Day celebrations with socially-distanced audience at Red Fort

The conspicuous absence of exuberant school children in the socially-distanced audience and a pruned guest list took some of the shine off the Independence Day event at the Red Fort which was scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 4,000 invites, a quarter of the usual, were issued to political leaders, officers, diplomats and others. Attendees wore masks and were seated at a distance of six feet from each other, displaying an image of the 'new normal' in the COVID times.

School children, who would attend the event dressed in the colours of the national flag, were not present this time due to the coronavirus. Instead, 500 NCC cadets were invited to the event.

"Today, our children are not here with us. The coronavirus pandemic has halted all of us," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address on the 74th Independence Day.

Sporting a saffron and cream headgear, the prime minister on Saturday delivered his seventh consecutive speech that lasted for 86 minutes from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Major Shweta Pandey assisted the prime minister in unfurling the national flag.

The annual event, which otherwise sees bustling crowds across many age groups, was scaled down this year in keeping with prescribed safety protocols to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus that has wreaked havoc across the world.

A kit containing a mask, a small bottle of hand sanitiser and a pair of gloves were kept on all chairs. A hand towel was kept on the backrest of the chairs along with the programme pamphlet.

Several seats across all enclosures remained empty.

A security official said they expected that a few seats would remain unoccupied considering the COVID-19 situation.

"The number of invitees was one-fourth the normal. Still, a lesser number of people turned up. Adequate arrangements were made to ensure physical distancing, and masks, sanitisers and gloves provided to all the attendees," he said.

Colourful carpets in enclosure and aisles contrast seating and walking areas, and posters bearing social distancing norms messages like 'keep six ft distance', 'wear a mask', dotted the venue.

Senior-most cabinet ministers were seated on the upper dais.

Guests, security staff, VIPs, all were sporting masks as prescribed under the safety norms. Some guests were even had designer masks.

As the weather turned sultry, hand-fans procured by the Defence Ministry from the Tribal Affairs Ministry's agency TRIFED, as part of the government's efforts to popularise local products, gave much-needed relief to the guests.

At the main entrance, the limited number of guests invited for the event underwent thermal scanning by security personnel donning personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, while hands-free sanitiser dispensers were kept near security gates.

Inside, chairs were placed in a careful matrix across all enclosures. Each seat had a sanitiser kit, a hand towel kept on the backrest along with the programme pamphlet. Social distancing norms were also in place on the rampart where the VVIPs were seated.

Security remained tight at the venue and elsewhere in the city.

At the Red Fort, a multi-layered security blanket had been put in place. A security ring, including NSG snipers, elite SWAT commandos and kite catchers were also placed around the venue and over 300 cameras were installed for security.

Around 4,000 security personnel ere deployed while adhering to social distancing norms, they said.

Over 350 Delhi Police personnel, part of the guard of honour, were quarantined as a precautionary measure.

The personnel of all ranks -- from constable to deputy commissioner of police -- were quarantined at a newly built police colony in Delhi Cantonment, police said.

Security personnel in plainclothes and uniform, with facial recognition systems, were deputed at vantage points for suspect identification.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also unfurled the tricolour at the Delhi Secretariat, a deviation from the regular venue.

Every year, the event is held at the Chhatrasal Stadium but the venue was changed because of the pandemic. The Delhi government's event this year also saw a smaller guest list.

At the BJP office, party president J P Nadda unfurled the national flag while at the AICC headquarter, veteran Congress leader A K Antony hoisted the tricolour.