Traditional buggy was missing at Murmu swearing-in

The traditional gold-plated presidential buggy (horse-drawn carriage) was not part of the oath taking ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.

Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind escorted her from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament House for swearing-in ceremony in a presidential limousine.

After taking oath, President Murmu came back with Kovind in the black limousine and inspected the Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan's forecourt riding an open Maruti jeep.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee had revived the tradition of presidential buggy ride in 2014, three decades after its discontinuation at public functions due to security reasons, as he used it to attend the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony in 2014.

His successor Kovind continued the tradition as he inspected the Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan's forecourt after taking oath as 14th President of India in 2017.

Almost 30 years ago, former President late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had used the buggy to reach the exit gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan from where he travelled in a car to attend the ceremony.

However, the open buggy was seen as a security threat by the security agencies then, following which the traditional carriage was replaced by bullet-proof cars.

The presidential buggy, a black carriage with national emblem -- the Ashoka insignia -- embossed in gold and drawn by six horses, was used by the Viceroy during the British rule.

After Independence, it has remained with the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

At the Rashtrapati Bhavan's forecourt, outgoing President Kovind took the last salute of the President's Bodyguard, the cavalry regiment of the Indian Army, with Murmu standing to his left.

He also inspected the Guard of Honour riding the open air Maruti jeep.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and chiefs of three armed forces, along with other dignitaries, were present on the occasion.

Following the tradition, President Murmu escorted Kovind to his new residence at 12, Janpath, the bungalow once occupied by former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Before Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind left Rashtrapati Bhavan for their new residence at Janpath road, they met the Vice President Naidu, Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries who were present there.