NPN

Due to the Republic Day Parade and Beating Retreat Ceremony, Rashtrapati Bhavan (Circuit 1) will remain closed to the public from January 21 to 29. Circuit 1 offers visitors a tour of the main building of Rashtrapati Bhavan. An official statement issued on Saturday said that Rashtrapati Bhavan will remain closed for nine days due to Republic Day. The statement issued by the President's Secretariat said, "Due to the upcoming Republic Day Parade and Beating Retreat Ceremony, Rashtrapati Bhavan (Circuit-1) will remain closed to the public from January 21 to 29, 2026." The annual Republic Day Parade is held on Kartavya Path. The Beating Retreat Ceremony, which marks the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations, is held on January 29 at Vijay Chowk, near Rashtrapati Bhavan, at the western end of Kartavya Path. Bhairav ​​Battalion to make its debut at Republic Day Parade The newly formed Bhairav ​​Light Commando Battalion will make its debut at the Republic Day Parade on January 26, and major military assets, including indigenous platforms, will be seen on Kartavya Path in a "phased combat formation" along with personnel. Officials said on Friday that in addition, the flypast during the ceremony will feature Rafale, Sukhoi-30, P8I, MiG-29, Apache, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter), ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), and Mi-17 helicopters in various formations, and transport aircraft C-130 and C-295 will also grace the parade. Defence Secretary shares outline Defence Secretary R.K. Singh shared the broad outline of the 77th Republic Day celebrations at a press conference in South Block, which will feature several firsts this time. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will be the chief guests at the parade. When asked why the indigenously manufactured LCA Tejas was not included in the parade, and whether the crash of a Tejas aircraft during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show in November was a reason, he said that some of the best platforms of the Indian forces are being showcased. The Defence Secretary said that some platforms have been included while others have not, but there is no specific reason for this. The main theme of this year's Republic Day parade is the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’. Breaking from tradition, the terms ‘VVIP’ and other designations previously used for seating areas at the parade venue will not be used. Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence said that instead, all the seating areas have been named after Indian rivers. A senior official, speaking after the press conference, said that these names will include major Indian rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna, and Narmada. He added that similarly, the enclosures being set up for the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony on January 29th have been named after Indian musical instruments such as ‘Bansuri’, ‘Sarod’, and ‘Tabla’. The Bhairav ​​Light Commando Battalion will be making its first appearance in the Republic Day parade. This battalion was formed around October last year. It had participated in the Army Day parade held in Jaipur.