Droupadi Murmu sworn in as new India president

A woman who hails from an ethnic minority community was sworn in as president of India on Monday. After the ceremony, India's new President Droupadi Murmu inspected an honor guard at the Presidential Palace. Murmu was elected by the Indian Parliament and state legislatures last week, making her the first president from one of the country's tribes and the second-ever woman to hold the position.

Murmu, 64, hails from the eastern state of Odisha and was governor of Jharkhand state from 2015-2021. She is a member of the Santal ethnic minority, one of India's largest tribal groups. Murmu's supporters and Modi's BJP see her win as a triumph of tribal people and a breakthrough moment for her community, which generally lacks health care and education facilities in remote villages.