Op Sindoor: Beating Retreat ceremonies at three border checkposts in Punjab cancelled

Hindustan Times

07-05-2025

In the wake of the precision strikes at terror launch pads in Pakistan by Indian Armed forces, the Border Security Force (BSF) has cancelled the Beating Retreat ceremonies at Attari-Wagah, Hussainwala and Sadki in Punjab till further orders. Border Security Force (BSF) personnel pasting notice of cancellation of the beating retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah Border, Amritsar on Wednesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
The BSF spokesperson said the decision was taken in light of the action taken by the Indian Armed forces against Pakistan.
'The Beating retreat ceremony would remain suspended on Wednesday. However, the decision on whether to resume the ceremony from Thursday onwards would be taken later after evaluating the security conditions,' the spokesperson said, adding that the daily lowering of the national flag at sunset will continue as usual.
The Indian armed forces successfully executed 'Operation Sindoor' in the early hours of Wednesday, carrying out targeted strikes on nine 'terrorist infrastructure' sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 civilians dead.
The BSF has barricaded the roads leading to all three borders — Attari-Wagah in Amritsar, Hussainiwala in Ferozepur and Sadki in Fazilka—to restrict the movement of visitors. The BSF personnel also pasted the posters stating the cancellation of the Beating Retreat ceremony, besides returning the vehicles of the visitors who had come from different areas of the country to witness the ceremony.
It may be mentioned that the ceremonial display by the BSF at the retreat ceremony along the India-Pakistan borders in Punjab was already scaled down on April 24 against the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
As part of a 'calibrated decision', the BSF, which guards a 553-km long border with Pakistan as the first line of defence in Punjab, suspended the symbolic handshake of the Indian guard commander with the Pakistan counterpart and decided to close the border gates during the ceremony. However, it allowed the visitors to witness the ceremony and flag-lowering ceremony carried out every evening at Hussainiwala and Wagah border in Amritsar.
Earlier, the ceremony remained suspended during the 2014 Wagah suicide bombing and post Pulwama attack on CRPF personnel in 2019.
The beating retreat ceremony is a daily ritual, taking place since 1959, and is performed every evening before sunset, jointly by BSF and Pakistan Rangers. The drill involves synchronised stomps, high-kicks, and theatrical standoffs between soldiers, before culminating with a coordinated lowering of the flags and a handshake between commanders of both forces.