BSF prohibits public at Wagah border 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony amid COVID surge
Before this, the BSF has stopped the public viewing of flag-lowering ceremonies for over 20 months. The ban imposed on March 7, 2020, was lifted in November last year.
FollowIn the wake of rising cases of COVID-19’s new variant, the Border Security Force has again banned the public witness of the “Beating the Retreat” ceremony at Joint Check Post Attari-Wagah along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab with immediate effect. Before this, the BSF has stopped the public viewing of flag-lowering traditions for over 20 months. The ban imposed on March 7, 2020, was lifted in November last year.
In 2016, the public was also denied entry at JCP Attari due to increased tension between two countries in the wake of a surgical strike launched against terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and inflicted significant casualties.
The development comes after the civil administration issued the latest guidelines regarding the management of the COVID-19 situation. The hierarchies in the paramilitary force reviewed the case and decided to hold the public viewing of the “Beating the Retreat” at the border.
The Beating the Retreat ceremony at this border is being conducted jointly by India’s BSF troops and Pakistan Rangers every day since 1959. The troops of two border guarding forces perform rapid dance-like manoeuvre, military parade and raising legs as high as possible that signifies rivalry, brotherhood and cooperation between two neighbouring nations.
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Attari-Wagah is the centre point that connects Amritsar on the Indian side while Lahore on the Pakistan side. In 2014, 60 people were killed, and over 100 were injured in a suicide attack on the Pakistan side of the outpost. In the last 24 hours, India has reported 90,928 new cases, taking the total cases at 3,51,09,286. While 325 deaths have been registered across the country in the previous 24 hours, the total reported death count stands at 4,82,876.
