Updated: August 15, 2017, 7:54 AM
India marks Independence Day - in pictures
Prime minister Narendra Modi said 'security is India's top priority' during his Independence Day address at the Red Fort in New Delhi
Indian girls wear tri colour bangles during Independence Day celebrations in Secunderabad. Noah Seelam / AFP Photo
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi waves after addressing the country at the Red Fort in New Delhi. Prakash Singh / AFP Photo
Indian girls look at a mobile phone in Secunderabad. Noah Seelam / AFP Photo
The Chattrapathi Shivaji Terminus railway station is lit up the colours of India in Mumbai. Punit Paranjpe / AFP Photo
A worker fixes a lamp post in front of the India Gate on the eve of Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi. Adnan Abidi / Reuters
Indian men prepare to illuminate the India Gate. Tsering Topgyal / AP Photo
A couple pose in front of a flag in New Delhi. Adnan Abidi / Reuters
Indian schoolchildren at the Red Fort sit in formation forming Hindi script that reads 'Bharat'. Money Sharma / AFP Photo
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures to the crowd after delivering his speech for the country's 71st Independence Day celebrations, which marks the 70th anniversary of the end of British colonial rule, at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi on August 15, 2017. India can defend itself from anyone who seeks "to act against our country", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an Independence Day speech August 15 amid a tense standoff with Beijing over a Himalayan plateau. / AFP PHOTO / MONEY SHARMA
A boy displays a tri-colour pin during Independence Day celebrations in Bangalore. Jagadeesh NV / EPA
Mr Modi inspects an honour guard. Harish Tyagi / EPA