Pune to Host Indian Army’s Annual Army Day Parade in January 2025

Reported by Mubarak Ansari

Pune, 21st September 2024: The Indian Army is set to hold its ceremonial Army Day parade on January 15, 2025. This annual event commemorates the day when Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, succeeding British General Sir Roy Bucher in 1949. The tradition of celebrating Army Day began that same year.

While the exact venue in Pune is yet to be confirmed, officials suggest that the parade may take place at the Bombay Sappers (Bombay Engineering Group and Centre) in Khadki. Final details are still being worked out.

In recent years, the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has shifted the location of Army Day, Navy Day, and Air Force Day parades outside New Delhi. The objective is to encourage greater public participation, strengthen national unity, and demonstrate the military’s strength and discipline across different regions of the country.

The Army Day parade in 2023 was held in Bengaluru, marking the first time the event took place outside the capital. In 2024, the parade was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The government has decided to rotate the Army Day parade across the six operational command centers of the Indian Army, ensuring wider national visibility and engagement.