The Indian Military Academy (IMA) passing out parade (PoP) for the batch of 2020 took place on Saturday morning in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, for 146 Regular Course and 129 Technical Graduate Course amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This year for the first time the parade was broadcasted live across the country on the Indian Army’s Youtube channel — ADGPI Indian Army- from 6 AM onwards.
The 28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Chief of Indian Army General Manoj Mukund Naravane reviewed the officers of the passing out parade. This year’s first PoP also saw 333 Indian and 90 Gentlemen Cadets from nine foreign countries become army officers.
However, the parents of the cadets were sadly not able to attend the ceremony due to the coronavirus crisis. The parents and relatives of the cadets were advised to watch the live coverage of all POP events to feel part of the celebration. Thus, the Indian Army chose to broadcast the parade live on social media. The parents or relatives of cadets usually pip-in the ranks on the shoulders of cadets after the passing out parade.
The Indian Military Academy said that all precautionary steps were taken in full measure to cut the coronavirus spread.
Earlier, the Indian Army released a teaser of the parade, which showed remarkable visuals of the cadets lined up to graduate, ready to shoulder the nation’s charge.
Every year, the IMA organizes a passing out parade for its cadets every six months. The passing out ceremony signifies the culmination of rigorous training and transformation of a gentleman cadet into a young officer.
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