The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame will be extinguished after 50 years of burning on Friday, military officials have said. 

It will be merged with the National War Memorial’s torch at a ceremony, just days ahead of the Republic Day on January 26. 

The programme, scheduled to begin at 3.30 in the afternoon, will be presided over by the Integrated Defence Staff chief, Air Marshal Balabadhra Radha Krishna, in the absence of serving Chief of Defence Staff, officials said. The National War Memorial is only 400 metres away on the other side of India Gate. 

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The decision has been taken as the maintenance and upkeep of the two war memorial flames in such close proximity to each other is becoming increasingly difficult, NDTV reported, citing sources.

The army sources further informed that since the National War Memorial has already been built for the martyrs of the country, it had been argued there was no need for a separate flame to be lit at the India Gate.

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The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which India won, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. It was inaugurated by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972, according to a PTI report.

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The War Memorial, built over 40 acres at a cost of 176 crore rupees, had been inaugurated on February 25, 2019, with names of nearly 26,000 soldiers inscribed on granite tablets. The memorial honors soldiers of the Indian military who fought conflicts for independent India.