Vijay Diwas 2023: To commemorate the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War on Saturday (December 16), the Border Security Force (BSF) held a first-ever "Vijay Diwas Parade" in New Delhi. At the border-guarding force's Chhawla camp in southwest Delhi, BSF Director General Nitin Agrawal took the salute during the ceremonial procession and paid respects at the martyr's memorial.
Full 'Vijay Diwas Parade'
This was the first time that a full "Vijay Diwas Parade" was held by the BSF at the force level. Earlier, respective battalions and units held their own events to pay tributes to the personnel who laid down their lives during the 1971 war, a senior officer told news agency PTI.
"Paying solemn tributes to the remarkable contribution of BSF during the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle, and to honour the victory of Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 War leading to Liberation of Bangladesh," a post read on the official page of the BSF.
BSF played key role in Vijay Diwas
India commemorates December 16 as Vijay Diwas. The remarkable victory in the war following the surrender of more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers on December 16, 1971 resulted in the birth of Bangladesh as an independent country. The BSF played a vital role in the war.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war in 2021, had said "The Border Security Force played a critical role in the liberation of Bangladesh" and the country salutes the officers and men whose resolve and valour created history in 1971.
"In many ways, the experience of 1971 was its initiation by fire. Yet the exceptional bravery displayed by BSF battalions, both at the eastern and western fronts, contributed to an outcome that was in India's favour. "None of us can ever forget the genocidal campaign launched by Pakistani forces against the people of Bangladesh in March 1971," the minister had said in his keynote address.
According to official records, a total of 125 BSF personnel were killed in action and 392 injured while 133 were reported missing after the war. The about-2.65-lakh-personnel-strong force was raised in 1965 and it is primarily tasked with guarding important Indian fronts with Bangladesh on the east and with Pakistan on the country's western flank.
Tribute to fallen soldiers at War Memorial
Earlier on the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar paid their respects to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial. MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial on the occasion of Vijay Diwas.
(With inputs from agencies)
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