New Delhi, January 17For the first time in history of the Republic Day celebrations, the iconic BSF camel contingent will not be ambling down the Rajpath here on January 26.Officials said the 90-member Border Security Force camel-mounted troops and band contingent had not been practising during the dress rehearsals of the event in the absence of official directions. “While the contingent is in Delhi since the last few months, it has not been included in the rehearsals as there are no official orders issued in this regard,” they said.The majestic and elegantly dressed four-legged “ship of the desert” belonging to the border guarding force first became a part of the national festival celebration in 1976 after it replaced a similar squad of the Army which had been participating in the Republic Day parade since the first such event in 1950.“The BSF camel contingent has since been the intrinsic part of the parade at the Rajpath on every January 26. There are two teams which take part in the event, the 54-member mounted contingent and the 36-member band,” a senior official involved with the camel squad said. While the first contingent showcases smartly dressed BSF border guards with weapons riding camels, the second follows with bandsmen in beautiful multi-colour dresses on the back of camels playing martial music. Officials said the January 26 parade this time was undergoing a number of changes such as non-inclusion of paramilitary forces such as ITBP, CISF and SSB whereas some new features, including the dogs squad contingent of the Army and a team of French soldiers, had been added to it.“The camel contingent may also not be a part of the Beating the Retreat Ceremony to be held on January 29 where they stand along the ramparts of the North and South blocks on Raisina Hill,” they said. The BSF camel contingent is the inheritor of the heritage of the Bikaner Royal Camel Force, known as “Ganga Risala”, and is based in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.Every year the contingent travels to Delhi in November to participate in the BSF Raising Day event on December 1 and the Republic Day parade after which it retreats to its base. — PTI