NEW DELHI, Jan 26: India kicked off celebrations of Republic Day on Monday with a parade of soldiers and strategic military hardware
, but shops and businesses in occupied Kashmir downed shutters in a protest strike.
More than 60,000 policemen were on alert in New Delhi to ward off any attack on the parade after three men accused by police of being members of a guerilla group based in Pakistan, were arrested with explosives in the capital.
"We have reasons to believe there was another cell planning to strike on Republic Day," said a police official. Four people were killed in fresh violence in occupied Kashmir The violence came as security was on high alert across the state following intelligence reports that guerillas aimed to attack the celebrations and troops discovered a large caches of weapons and explosives over the weekend.
"Our boys are on high alert to prevent militant attacks," said K Srinivisan, a senior officer with India's Border Security Force (BSF) - the main force battling militants in Kashmir.
Violence has continued unabated in Kashmir despite new moves by nuclear armed India and Pakistan to ease tensions over the scenic territory which has been the trigger of two of three wars between them.
Suspected militants killed overnight a Hindu civilian in Rajouri district in the south of Jammu and Kashmir while two militants were shot dead by troops in Poonch district, police said.
Militants killed an army soldier in an ambush in Poonch, police added. Muslim guerillas also hurled a grenade at a police station in Srinagar, and sprayed the building with fire but caused no casualties, police said.
Both moderate and hardline factions of the region's main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, called for a total strike to mark the day, and asked people to remain indoors.
The strike shut shops and businesses in Srinagar, and few people were out on the streets. The BSF and the Indian army said they had found explosives, rockets and grenades in rebel hideouts in Srinagar and the northern Kupwara district over the weekend.
They also recovered explosives at Bakshi stadium, the main venue for Republic Day celebrations in Srinagar. The Indian government rolled out its nuclear-capable Prithvi and longer range Agni missiles in the parade, watched by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Abdul Kalam, a former rocket scientist.
The Prithvi missile, with a range of 150kms to 250kms, is seen as a deterrent to Pakistan, while the Agni, which can reach targets 2,000kms away, is meant to counter China.
"The pride of our nation," blared state television as the missiles mounted on huge flat-bed trucks glided past hundreds of applauding people gathered in New Delhi's central streets. Chief guest at the parade was Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.-Agencies
