BSF organises its first parade in Delhi to mark 1971 war victory

New Delhi: The BSF held its first “Vijay Diwas Parade” here on Saturday to commemorate the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War that saw a historic victory of the Indian armed forces against Pakistan.

BSF Director General Nitin Agrawal took the salute of the ceremonial parade at the Chhawla camp of the border-guarding force in southwest Delhi and paid homage at the martyr’s memorial, the force said on X.

This was the first time that a full “Vijay Diwas Parade” was held by the Border Security Force (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 said.

The post on X said solemn tributes were paid to remember “the remarkable contribution of BSF during the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle, and to honour victory of Indian Armed Forces in the 1971 War leading to Liberation of Bangladesh....”

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. India commemorates December 16 as Vijay Diwas.

The BSF played a vital role in the war. EAM 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 valour created history in 1971.

According to official records, a total of 125 BSF personnel were killed 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.