Women grab limelight at India's Republic Day pageantry

Huge crowds gathered for India's Republic Day parade Sunday, with women taking centre-stage at the annual pomp-filled spectacle of military might featuring army tanks, horses and camels.

For the first time, the riders performing daredevil stunts on motorbikes to the delight of the crowds lining New Delhi's central Rajpath boulevard, were women.

Inspector Seema Nag saluted the gathered VIPs as she led her fellow bikers, one precariously perched at the top of a ladder wedged behind her vehicle's handlebars as others formed a human pyramid, drawing the loudest cheers from thousands of spectators.

Assam's smart women police commandos participate in a parade.

And in front of the guest of honour Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, Captain Tania Shergill, a fourth-generation army officer, led an all-male Corps of Signals military communications contingent.

Bolsonaro sat next to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- who wore a saffron turban -- and waved and clapped from behind a bullet-proof glass.

January 26 is the anniversary of India's adoption of its constitution in 1950.

The two-hour showcase of military might and cultural diversity included everything from battle tanks and state-of-the-art weaponry to traditional dancers.

Scaled-down models of the Rafale aircraft were paraded by the air force, following the South Asian nation's purchase of 36 jets from France in 2016 in a multi-billion-dollar deal.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) women motorcycle team members perform during the Republic Day parade.

The mounted camels of the Border Security Force put in an early showing, strutting across the avenue in brightly coloured caparisons.

Traditional dancers representing some of India's diverse regional cultures performed on elaborately decorated floats showcasing selected states.

The show culminated with a Su-30 MKI fighter jet roaring through the sky in a "Vertical Charlie" aerobatic manoeuvre.

Pageantry and protests

The parade was held against a backdrop of nationwide protests over a new citizenship law that critics say discriminates against minority Muslims, which make up 200 million people in India's 1.3 billion-strong population.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) women motorcycle team members perform.

A 620-kilometre (385-mile) long human chain was planned in southern Kerala state later Sunday as a mark of protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and a proposed National Register of Citizens.

The new law makes it easier for persecuted religious minorities from three neighbouring countries to obtain citizenship, but not if they are Muslim.

India is the largest cane sugar producer in the world followed by Brazil, according to the International Sugar Organisation.

Agence France-Presse