The body of an unidentified youth was today found inside a kiosk near Udyog Bhawan, which stands about 100-m away from Rajpath, the venue of the Republic Day parade, just a few hours before the event began, sendingsecurity agencies into a tizzy.
The deceased was said to be aged around 20 years and his body bore several injury marks, including a blunt-force wound to the head.
The body, which was discovered at around 4 A.M.,was immediately sent for post-mortem.
The body was discovered by an official of the bomb disposal squad as he was carrying out a last round of inspection before the high-profile event, where US PresidentBarack Obama was the Chief Guest, kicked off on Rajpath at 9 am.
It later emerged that the deceased had been working at the kiosk for the past few days. Police were yet to question the owner of the kiosk till Monday evening, said a source.
Image: An Indian Army officer walks on the Rajpath before the start of the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Photographer: Adnan Abidi/Reuters