When Barack Obama 'broke' American and Indian traditions for Republic Day

New Delhi, Jan 26: US President Barack Obama today broke Secret Service's sacred security protocol by remaining in the open for more than two hours when he graced the Republic Day celebrations here as the Chief Guest.

He also departed from the tradition of not accompanying President of India and preferred to be driven to the venue in his own multi-layered bulletproof car 'The Beast'.

Obama spent over two hours in the open as the Chief Guest of India's 66th Republic Day celebrations.

The security guidelines of Secret Service, the exclusive agency responsible for an American President's security, mandate that he does not spend more than 45 minutes at any open-air venue. According to American media reports, the US President has never been on an outdoor event for more than 40 minutes.

He also reached the parade venue in his own car. The move is seen as a departure from tradition, as it's customary for chief guests at the event to arrive and depart with the Indian President in his car from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Pranab Mukherjee arrived separately at the venue shortly after.

PTI