New Delhi: There will be no Beating Retreat ceremony at the Wagah-Attari border this Republic Day due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Border Security Forces (BSF) sources said on Monday.
"No joint or coordinated parade will be conducted this year at Wagah-Attari border on Republic Day and no public will be allowed due to COVID-19. Flag-lowering will be conducted as per daily schedule," BSF sources said.
During the Independence Day celebration last year, no spectators and visitors were allowed during the ceremony and the BSF held the function with only 16 of its personnel.
Beating Retreat started in 1959, as a goodwill gesture at the Attari-Wagah border. The lowering of the flags ceremony at the border is a military practice that the security forces of India and Pakistan have been following since last sixty years.
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