Thiruvananthapuram:) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday hoisted the national flag at the Central Stadium here on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day of the country.

After hoisting the flag, he inspected the armed paramilitary contingents lined up at the stadium for a parade.

On Thursday, he had called for national unity and secular values in his Independence Day message and warned against forces trying to divide the country along religious and political lines. PTI