Chandigarh: Three members of a family, including a woman, were injured Friday evening in a suspected Pakistan drone attack in Punjab’s Ferozepur district. This is the first reported case of a hostile drone managing to cause any damage or injury in the Indian side.
Lakhwinder Singh, his wife Sukhvinder Kaur and his brother Monu were rushed to a hospital after the drone hit a civilian area in Khai Pheme ki village. Kaur’s condition was declared as critical by the doctors.
The drone attack on Khai Pheme ki village, which is close to the international border, is part of Pakistan’s ongoing tactic of targeting civilian populations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat using drones and other projectiles for the past two consecutive days.
Throughout Thursday, debris of drones and other projectiles were found at multiple places in Punjab.
According to eyewitnesses, a drone fell on a part of the victims’ house causing a parked vehicle to catch fire. The family members, some of whom had got injured, rushed to put out the fire and received burn injuries, they said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Ferozepur, Bhupinder Singh confirmed to the media about the injuries to three persons in a drone attack. He added that the majority of the Pakistan drones were being neutralised by armed forces.
For the second consecutive evening, a complete blackout was declared in several districts of Punjab. Many districts have limited the number of hours for opening of cinema halls, malls and shops. District administrations have issued detailed instructions of dos and don’ts during blackouts, including not to venture out during the period.
Strict instructions were issued to stop any hoarding of essential goods by traders and shopkeepers. The public have been advised not to indulge in panic shopping or queue up at petrol stations and ATMs. The Punjab government has also set up a round-the-clock control room for the public. The public was also advised not to share sensitive information, failing which criminal action would be initiated against them.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed his cabinet colleagues to camp in the border districts and assist the public in every way possible. Widening the ambit of Farishtey scheme, which was originally aimed at providing free treatment to accident victims, the Punjab Cabinet gave nod to include war- and terrorist-affected victims among those eligible for the scheme.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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