BSF suspends Beating Retreat ceremony on Attari-Wagah border

The Beating Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar has been suspended for visitors, till further orders, a Border Security Force (BSF) official said. The development comes after the Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on early Wednesday. It is learnt that the ceremonious drill was suspended due to drop in number of visitors.

The official said these measures had been taken keeping in view the security of visitors. “The customary flag-lowering ritual has to be executed, which is done by the BSF, but no public is permitted to watch the event. There will be no ceremonial show,” he said.

The notice “Parade is closed” in English and Hindi languages has been pasted on the passage leading to the spectators’ gallery.

The military strikes were conducted under “Operation Sindoor”, two weeks after the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.

Following the attack, the BSF had “scaled down” the event with “close gates at the zero line, suspension of the symbolic gesture of “handshake” between Indian guard commander and his counterpart from the Pakistan side.

Meanwhile, some outstation tourists reached the border to attend the ceremony, but were supportive when denied access. A group of tourists from Gujarat said they had no regrets for not being allowed to watch the flag lowering ceremony. Tourists said they had come to cheer up soldiers. Nikhil Aujha said India had given a befitting reply to the Pahalgam terror attack.

“There is no reason to show resentment over not being allowed to watch the flag lowering ceremony,” he said. Echoing same views, another tourist GB Patel said, “We are proud of our soldiers. We are ambassadors for peace and love, but that does not imply that we should not retort to the nefarious designs of our enemies,” he said.

Adhiram Chauhan from Madhya Pradesh said, “We have come for the first time here. We no grudge over not being able to watch the retreat ceremony. All decisions are taken keeping in view our security.”

Earlier in 2021, the surge in Covid-19 cases had compelled the BSF to suspend visitors’ access to the spectators’ gallery.