Amritsar hosts 58th BSF Raising Day
First in 57 years
Amritsar: Amritsar, the border city, hosted the Border Security Force 58th Raising Day, for the first time, here on Sunday at Guru Nanak Dev University premises.
Last year the 57th (RD) was held in the border city of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The two border cities with Pakistan have thus become the firsts to be chosen after 56- Raising Day Parades by BSF, which were held exclusively in the capital, New Delhi.
On the occasion, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai took the ceremonial salute as chief guest.
After laying the wreath at BSF Martyr’s Column at SHQ BSF Khasa, Amritsar, the chief guest took the salute from the world’s largest border guarding force deployed along 6,386 km of International Border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The parade comprised a march past of 12-foot contingents from different frontiers, including the ‘Mahila Prahari’-BSF women contingent, decorated officers and men, the Camel contingent, Camel Band, Horse-mounted column, dog squad, communication contingent displaying the technological advancements of the force, with the special appearance by BSF Bagpipers including BSF men and women.
Director General (BSF) Pankaj Kumar Singh, on this occasion, summarized the historical aspects of BSF that was launched with just 25 battalions which evolved into a formidable 193 battalions, having a strength of more than 2.65 lakh personnel deployed in every kind of extreme terrain, temperatures, and challenging scenarios. “BSF is multifunctional in areas of operations, sports, adventure, welfare, bilateral cooperation on the international border, and other fields. The force has 4-NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) battalions, with state-of-the-art weaponry, the latest border management technology, force multipliers, and supporting segments of the Water Wing, Air Wing & Artillery Wing for operations in varied and difficult terrains.”
Meritorious BSF personnel were honoured and awarded President’s Police Medals, and Medals for Gallantry presented to the next of kin of martyrs. The prestigious ‘General Choudhary Trophy’ was awarded to 66 Bn BSF for their exceptional performance. The annual ‘Borderman’ Magazine was released on the occasion.
During his address, the minister lauded the parade and highlighted the significance of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ being commemorated in the nation, this year.
A thrilling dog show by NTCD BSF trained dogs, battle drills show by Camel mounted praharis, horse contingent, Gajraj and Chetak drill by CSMT BSF team that involved dismantling, obstacle crossing and assembly of motor vehicle, daredevil motorcycle show by Seema Bhawani women team and Jaanbaaz men’s team. Besides this, Tableaux of BSF Water Wing, Air Wing, Central Workshop and Stores (CENWOSTO), BSF Institute of Advance Adventure Training (BIAAT), Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Dte & Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) were displayed.
Rashmi Talwar, an Independent writer, can be emailed at: [email protected]
