Thousands of restless people were stunned into a brief silence, their eyes rolled towards skies and ears buzzing to the humming sound as the Indian Air Force planes roared over the majestic Rajpath during the 70th Republic Day parade on Saturday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested lawyer Gautam Khaitan, accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, in connection with a fresh case of possession of black money and money laundering, officials said Saturday.

Eminent writer Gita Mehta on Saturday declined to accept the Padma Shri, saying it could be "misconstrued" in an year of major elections. Mehta, who is Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's sister, was awarded the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education.

 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Saturday joined a select group of world leaders to have graced India's Republic Day celebrations in the past few decades.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces on Saturday in Khunmoh area on the outskirts of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India's 70th Republic Day, which captured the country's architectural and cultural legacy as well as its rich bio-diversity.

Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, a militant-turned-soldier who laid down his life fighting a group of terrorists in Shopian in Kashmir in November, was awarded the Ashoka Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind Saturday.

Celebrations for the 70th Republic Day began Saturday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in attendance as the chief guest, amid heavy security deployment in the city.