India celebrates 65th Independence Day

India is celebrating its 65th Independence Day on Monday with much fervor and gaiety, amid unprecedented security arrangements across the country. A strict vigil is being kept at all the entries into the Indian Capital, with barricades erected at the borders around the Capital and all vehicles thoroughly checked. All government installations, offices, schools, and colleges are closed. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unfurled the country's national flag and delivered the traditional speech from the ramparts of historic Red Fort complex, where the country's first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru had unfurled the Indian Tricolour 64 years ago. Strict security measures have been undertaken in the wake of input from the country's Intelligence Bureau (IB) about possible security threats, including terror strikes, on the day. An elaborate ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place in the Capital to pre-empt any terror strikes. Thousands of security personnel of the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around the city, especially near the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unfurled the national flag and addressed the nation this morning. Last evening, the Union Home Ministry had issued a country-wide alert asking states to tighten security at sensitive locations and installations to thwart any attempt of terror strike. "We have deployed personnel in abundance. We are not taking any chance," said a senior Home Ministry official. A strict vigil is maintained around key installations like the Indian Parliament, IGI Airport, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, and Delhi Metro stations. Besides patrolling of the skies by helicopters, an air defence mechanism has been put in place to thwart any terror attacks.