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Will Parade At Our Ancestors Did: Punj Regiment Gears Up For Bastille Day Parade

By LokMarg 14th July 2023

An Indian tri-services contingent, led by the Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army, gathered at the Champs-Elysees Avenue on Friday, ahead of the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France.

Preparations are underway for the Bastille Day Parade, which commemorates the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, an ancient royal fortress in 1789 during the French Revolution.
Meanwhile, security has also been beefed up.

French security forces are seen checking the cars and buses ahead of the parade.

Earlier, on Wednesday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the adoption of an exceptional security plan for the French national holiday, which will be placed under heavy police surveillance due to a “particular environment (…) of violence,” Le Monde reported.

No fewer than 130,000 members of law enforcement will be mobilised across the country on Thursday and Friday, “including 45,000 each evening, equipped and organized (…) for urban violence”, the minister said.

The Punjab Regiment will be led by Captain Aman Jagtap. The Indian Navy contingent is being led by Commander Vrat Baghel while the Indian Air Force contingent is by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy.

Expressing his happiness over being part of the Bastille Day parade, Captain Aman Jagtap, 23rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment, Longewala, who will command the Indian contingent at the Bastille Day Parade, said, “It is a proud and historic moment. After 107 years, we will parade at the same place where the ancestors of my Regiment did. For my troop and me, it is a matter of pride for me…It is not every day that someone gets to parade before one’s PM in a foreign land. It is a huge and rare opportunity for us.”

This year the Bastille Day Parade will have about 6,300 soldiers in various marching contingents. This includes a tri-services contingent of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. The Punjab Regiment participated in both World Wars, having been awarded 18 Battle and Theatre Honours in the first war.

Meanwhile, Subedar Satinder Pal Singh from the Punjab Regiment, said, “The troops are full of vigour. We are ready to march. Our ‘josh’ and morale is high. Our ancestors sacrificed themselves for this land. Now we are here.”

Indian Navy’s contingent is also set to participate in the Bastille Day Parade.

Ranveer, an officer of the Indian Navy, told ANI, “Our contingent is brimming with anticipation and enthusiasm. From the parade, you will get a sense of the preparations that went into it. We have been preparing (for the parade) for the last one month. However, all stage rehearsals are over and we are all set for the march today. We are very proud that the PM is here and that our contingent is taking part in the Bastille Day Parade.”

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence, in a press release, stated, “The Indian Army contingent comprising of 77 marching personnel and 38 members of the Band is being led by Captain Aman Jagtap. Indian Navy contingent is being led by Commander Vrat Baghel and the Indian Air Force contingent is by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy. The Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will also form part of the flypast during the parade.”

It added, “The Army contingent is being represented by the Punjab Regiment which is one of the oldest Regiments of the Indian Army. The troops of the Regiment have participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-independence operations.” (ANI)

France: Hundreds More Arrested Amid Unrest Over Teen Killing

By LokMarg 2nd July 2023

Protests that erupted in France in response to the killing of a 17-year-old by a police officer continued for a fifth night, The New York Times reported. Authorities arrested hundreds of people nationwide overnight Saturday and protesters clashed with police officers in riot gear.

Taking to his Twitter handle, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that 427 people had been arrested overnight on Saturday. On Friday, more than 1300 people had been detained in France. He further said that 45,000 police officers were deployed nationwide on Saturday evening, a number similar to the night before, according to The New York Times report.
A government minister said that the evening was calmer than the recent ones. However, local media reported rioting, looting, and clashes in Marseille, the report said. Gerald Darmanin noted that the number of officers deployed across the nation was not increased and added that more officers were sent to control protesters in Lyon, Grenoble, and Marseille, The New York Times reported. Tensions remained high in France after the funeral of the 17-year-old by a police officer on Tuesday in Nanterre.

The funeral of a French teen, whose shooting by police provoked violent protests across the nation, was held after more than 1300 people were detained overnight on Saturday, CNN reported. The service was held at a mosque in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, on Saturday afternoon local time.

Mounia, the mother of the teenager who was shot dead, told France 5 on Friday that she alone held the cop who shot her son, Nahel Merzouk, accountable for his demise. However, the murder has led to widespread damaging unrest and inquiries into whether race played a role in his passing. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to postpone his state visit to Germany due to intense protests in France.

On Saturday, France’s Interior Ministry said that 1,311 people had been detained following the fourth night of violence, an update on its previous figure. It said 2,560 fires had been reported on public roads, with 1,350 cars burned, and that there had been 234 incidents of damage or fire in buildings, CNN reported. 79 police and gendarmes were injured over the course of Friday night and there were 58 attacks on police and gendarme stations, the Ministry added. (ANI)

France Violence: 13 Buses Set On Fire In Aubervilliers After Teenager Shot Dead

By LokMarg 30th June 2023

At least thirteen buses from the RATP depot in Aubervilliers were set on fire after a teenager was shot dead in a fatal police shooting in Nanterre, BFM TV reported.

BFM TV is a 24-hour rolling news and weather channel based in France and available globally via digital, cable and satellite television.
With the looting, fires, and firing of fireworks, Paris and its suburbs were plagued on Thursday by a new incident of violence after the death of the teenager 17, identified as Nal after being stopped for a traffic violation in the Paris suburb town of Nanterre on Tuesday. The officer who is accused of shooting him was taken to jail.

Till now, at least 421 people have been arrested across France in protests, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Of those, 242 arrests took place in the Paris region in the departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne, BFMTV said citing Paris police.

Earlier, the lawyer of the police officer under formal investigation for the fatal shooting of a French teenager slammed the treatment of his client as “political,” claiming his prosecution was being used to try and calm the violent tensions.

“He committed an act in a second, in a fraction of a second. Perhaps he made a mistake, justice will tell,” Laurent-Franck Lienard, the officer’s lawyer told CNN affiliate BFMTV in an interview.

The officer is “devastated” by the death of the teenager Nahel, his lawyer said, adding that he didn’t want to kill him.

Taking to Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday, said, “Violence against police stations, schools, town halls, against the Republic, is unjustifiable. Thank you to the police, gendarmes, firefighters and elected officials mobilized. Meditation, Justice and calm must guide the next few hours”.

He also convened a crisis meeting with senior ministers on Thursday in the wake of the situation, CNN reported.

Speaking at the meeting, Macron said: “Clearly the emotion that comes with the death of a young man calls for contemplation and calm, and it’s what the government has constantly called for. I think this is what should continue to guide the next hours and the tributes.”

Calling the violence “absolutely unjustifiable”, the French President thanked those who are working to bring back calm.

“The last hours have been marked by violent scenes against police stations but also schools and town halls, and basically against institutions and the Republic. It’s absolutely unjustifiable,” Macron said.

He added, “I would like to thank those who are out during the night, like yesterday, to protect these institutions and bring back calm”.

In another statement, Macron defended the ‘right to protest’ and urged people to maintain calm.

“We have always safeguarded the right to protest…but we need harmony and we need a lot of collective goodwill,” President Emmanuel Macron told the newspaper Ouest France, while urging calm, reported France24. (ANI)