French troops participate in full dress rehearsal for Republic Day parade

New Delhi: French troops on Saturday participated in the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade on Rajpath here.

There has been no occasion in the past when foreign troops have participated in the march past during a Republic Day celebrations. Earlier, Indian troops had participated in the Bastille Day celebrations in France in 2009.

French President François Hollande will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year. This is the fifth time that a serving President of the French Republic will be the chief guest at the Republic Day function.

On July 14, 2009, the Indian troops from the three services – army, navy and air force – marched down the Champs Elysees in Paris along with the French Army on the Bastille Day. The event also witnessed participation of the Maratha light infantry, which is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army. (ANI)