Thefts at Beating Retreat ceremony rattle tourists

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 21

Dr Jaipal Reddy, a resident of Hyderabad, had to face an utter disappointment in the city after Rs 20,000 were pickpocketed during Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post on May 18. He did not register a police case but expressed his loss to the hotel owner where stayed with his family.

This is not the sole case as such incidents continue to occur, targeting tourists. Most of the tourists don’t bother to lodge police complaints.

An association has even written to the BSF to curb the nefarious activity.

A hotelier, Jatinder Singh Narulla, said, “Around three to four customers of my hotel complain of theft, pickpocketing and snatching at the JCP every month.”

Since such incidents are rising, it is high time for the authorities concerned to act, he said. According to him, the BSF allows access to the visitors in the gallery from the gate in small groups, maintianing discipline, but the same regimen is not followed at the conclusion of the ceremony, resulting in a melee-type situation and paving the way for miscreants to target tourists.

APS Chatha, president, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHARA), said the matter often cropped up at the meetings of the association. “Since no positive response comes from the authorities, we have started alerting tourists to remain vigilant and avoid taking valuables to the Beating the Retreat ceremony,” he said.

Mall Road Welfare Association president Kamal Dalmia, in a communiqué to the BSF, requested for proper security of visitors at the border. He opined that cops in mufti among the visitors could keep a watch on unscrupulous elements. CCTV cameras should also be installed at the JCP to nab the culprits, he said. Incidents of crime bring a bad name to the city that has been known as ‘Sifti Da Ghar’.