New Delhi: Elite horse of President's Bodyguards, Virat, who participated in the Republic Day Parade for the last time on Wednesday and is set to retire soon, was given an unexpected farewell from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Commandant of the President's Bodyguard Colonel Anup Tewari rode on Virat, as the elite guards escorted President Ram Nath Kovind to the dais at Rajpath.
As the parade concluded and the PBG came to escort the President to Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi reached out to Virat. Modi went ahead to pet the charger. He was joined by President Kovind and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Virat was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation on Army Day 2022. For a veteran who has been a part of 13 Republic Day parades, this was the last.
The Hanoverian breed horse had joined the President's bodyguard in 2003. He is also called the President's bodyguard's “charger”.
The President's Bodyguard is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the senior-most regiment in the order of precedence of the units of the Indian Army.
The primary role of the President's Bodyguard is to escort and protect the President of India. The regiment is based in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (UNI)