What makes this year's Republic Day Parade so special

India showcased its military prowess and cultural diversity in Republic Day Parade at Rajpath on Tuesday. An impressive march past by contingents of defence forces was followed by tableaux from different states and several government departments are routine but there were some other factors which made this year's parade different.

New Delhi: India showcased its military prowess and cultural diversity in Republic Day Parade at Rajpath on Tuesday. An impressive march past by contingents of defence forces, followed by tableaux from different states and several government departments are routine but there were some factors which made this year's parade different.

Here are six things made this year's Republic Day Parade different:

1. Crisp and short: Duration of this year's Republic Day Parade was cut short by 25 minutes from 115 minutes to 90 minutes. 

2. Canine power: After a gap of about 26 years, the dog squad of Indian Army took part in the parade.  The 36-member squad included mostly Lebradors and German Shepherds. 

3. French Chief Guest: Francois Hollande became the fifth French President to honour the event by becoming the chief guests at the Republic Day Parade.

4. French Army contingent: For the first time, soldiers from French Army participated in the Republic Day parade 

5. No CISF, ITBP and SSB contingent: Breaking the years-long tradition, contingents from ITBP, CISF and SSB did not participate in the Republic Day Parade.

6. Delhi fortified: Unprecedented security arrangements in Delhi with 50,000 security personnel, including 15,000 from the paramilitary on guard to prevent any untoward incident. 1000 snipers and anti-aircraft guns were in place with clear instructions to shoot down any unknown flying object during the parade timings.