Amritsar: The city of Amritsar came under a fresh spell of attacks from armed drones fired by Pakistan early Saturday. The Indian Air Defence System intercepted this latest wave starting at 5 am. One of the drones fell at the house of one Jagbir Singh Jagga in Wadala Bhittewad village, Amritsar Rural Police district.
While it is not clear which of the sensitive installations were the apparent target of the armed drones, at least five were shot down. Hours later, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney declared a red alert in the city, urging residents to stay indoors.
Saturday is the third consecutive day when Amritsar has come under attempted attack by Pakistani armed drones.
Earlier, Friday night was declared a complete blackout in the wake of threat perception. On this night too blasts were heard from the outskirts of the holy city, while heavy firing of the anti-drone guns were also heard from Ajnala Block of the city.
Neighbouring districts such as Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot also came under drone attacks, which were similarly thwarted by the Indian Armed Forces and the air defence mechanism.
Defence officials said that Pakistan launched Byker YIHA III Kamikaze drones in Amritsar, targeting areas housing civilian population.
“The attempt was thwarted by Army Air Defence guns at 5 am today, destroying the same in the air. The drone was aimed at targeting civilian areas and innocent civilians,” the officials said.
Punjab police officials rushed to the sites where the wreckages were reported to be found. They have collected the debris and sent it for further examination.
In the wake of Pakistani armed drones and their possible misuse, Amritsar DC Sawhney has also banned flying any kind of drones in the district.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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