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Photos: India celebrates 75 years of independence

The ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the British empire became independent in 1947, after two centuries of colonial occupation.

People carry the Indian national flag as they celebrate ahead of country's 75th Independence Day, in Chennai
People carry the Indian national flag as they celebrate 75 years of independence in Chennai. [Arun Sankar/AFP]
Published On 15 Aug 202215 Aug 2022
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India marked the 75th anniversary of independence on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving a speech from New Delhi’s historic Red Fort.

The “Jewel in the Crown” of the British empire became independent in 1947, after two centuries of colonial occupation and exploitation.

As Britain left, the Indian subcontinent was hurriedly split in two: Hindu-majority India and mostly Muslim Pakistan.

This precipitated one of the biggest-ever movements of humanity as millions of people, uprooted from areas their families had inhabited for generations, rushed to be on the right side of the new border.

It also unleashed a cataclysm of sectarian violence in which nearly two million people were killed. Entire trains full of people were massacred and huge numbers of women were raped.

More blood flowed and millions of others shifted 24 years later when East Pakistan, backed by India with Soviet support, fought a war of independence in 1971 to become Bangladesh.

At partition, the disputed region of Kashmir was also split between India and Pakistan, with the Himalayan territory the spark for two of the nuclear-armed rivals’ three wars and numerous skirmishes since.

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Wearing a cream-coloured turban speckled with the colours of the Indian flag, Modi promised to turn India into a developed nation in 25 years and said India should crush the “termite” of corruption and nepotism.

“Hundreds of years of colonialism has restricted our sentiments, distorted our thoughts. When we see even the smallest thing related to colonialism in us or around us, we have to be rid of it,” Modi said in his nearly 80-minute speech.

Indian Railway Protection Force
Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel take part in a ceremony to celebrate India's 75th Independence Day at the railway sports complex ground in Hyderabad. [Noah Seelam/AFP]
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A roadside vendor carrying a child sells Indian flags
A roadside vendor sells Indian flags on Independence Day in Hyderabad. [Mahesh Kumar A/AP Photo]
School children colourfully attired as they take part in the cultural event on the eve of 75th years of India's Independence
Schoolchildren take part in a cultural event on the eve of the 75th year of India's independence at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. [Jagadeesh NV/EPA]
India independence day
Indian PM Narendra Modi meets folk artists after addressing the nation during the Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
School students line up for a programme
School students line up for a programme during a ceremony to celebrate India's 75th Independence Day in Hyderabad. [Noah Seelam/AFP]
Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other ministers walk with Indian flags before the country's Independence Day celebrations in Lucknow. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo]
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Indian army soldiers display their skills
Indian army soldiers display their skills on motorcycles in Hyderabad. [Mahesh Kumar A/AP Photo]
Taxi driver Dhananjay Chakraborty
Taxi driver Dhananjay Chakraborty drives his taxi 'Sabuj Rath' (Green Chariot) before the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Indian independence in Kolkata. [Piyal Adhikary/EPA]
Indian police and paramilitary soldiers
Indian police and paramilitary personnel stand guard in front of Ghanta Ghar, the clock tower at Lal Chowk, which has been illuminated in tricolours, before the 75th year of India's independence in Srinagar. [Farooq Khan/EPA]
India Independence Day
Assamese girls and boys in traditional attire carry Indian flags as they perform the Bihu dance on Independence Day in Guwahati, Assam. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
india
Indian President Draupadi Murmu arrives to pay homage to martyrs at the National War Memorial, on Independence Day in New Delhi. [Pankaj Nangia/AP Photo]


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