PARIS - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to be the guest of honour for France's Bastille Day celebrations on Friday, which were set to take place under tight security two weeks after riots swept the country.
Around 45,000 police were to be deployed nationwide in the evening.
Firework sales were banned as the government aimed to prevent a repeat of the urban violence seen at the end of June, following the police killing of a teenager.
The annual Bastille Day festivities mark the storming of the Bastille prison at the start of the French Revolution in 1789.
The events kicked off with a traditional military parade in the morning that saw tanks, planes and soldiers sweeping down the Champs Elysees.
Ahead of the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Mr Modi the grand cross of the Legion of Honour, the country's top order of merit.
Mr Modi hailed it as "an honour for the 1.4 billion residents of India".
The award was granted to salute "the role of the Prime Minister in the excellent relations of friendship and confidence that unite France and India", the French presidency said in a statement. The honouring of Mr Modi reflects deepening ties between France and India, which are marking 25 years of "strategic partnership".
This story is from the July 15, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the July 15, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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