Jalandhar : As the situation between India and Pakistan remains tense, Jalandhar District Collector (DC) Himanshu Aggarwal informed that one surveillance drone was brought down by the Indian armed forces near Mand village in the district on Monday night.
In a press release, the DC requested that people refrain from going near the debris and inform the nearest police station about it. He confirmed that drone activity has been taking place in Jalandhar since 10:00 PM Monday.
"I have been informed that one surveillance drone was brought down by the Armed forces at around 9.20 pm near village Mand. The expert team is looking for the debris. It is requested that please do not go near the debris. If you find them, immediately inform the nearest police station. It has also been informed that no drone activity has been seen in Jalandhar since 10 pm," the DC Jalandhar stated in the release.
He advised the people to exercise caution and warned of strict police action against those engaged in bursting crackers to create panic. As a precaution, the lights in some areas of Jalandhar were cut off.
"I urge you to please be calm, and also do not burst crackers, as it has been reported in some areas. Strict police action will be taken against such people who try to create panic. We have cut off the light in some areas of Jalandhar as a precaution and will review the situation after some time. Nothing to worry," the DC added.
Even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent an explicit message against terrorism being "encouraged" by Pakistan, there is a sense of scepticism in the border villages who fear that Pakistan's army will not desist from aggression, as they have tried to breach the understanding reached between the two countries.
The local residents of a border village in Samba district of Jammu also added that they heard the blasts occurring last night, and splinters hit one of the houses. The roof and kitchen of the affected house have also been damaged after shelling by Pakistan.
Red streaks were seen and explosions heard as India's air defence intercepted Pakistani drones amid a blackout in Samba on Monday evening, with Army sources saying that a small number of drones had come in the Samba sector and were being engaged.
Army sources said that a very small number of drones have come into the Samba sector, and they are being engaged, so there is nothing to be alarmed about. On Monday, PM Modi hit out at Pakistan over its support to cross-border terrorism and said that "terror and talks" and "terror and trade" cannot go together.
In his address to the nation, PM Modi said that after the surgical strike in 2016 and the air strike in 2019, Operation Sindoor is India's policy against terrorism. The Prime Minister referred to India putting in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack and said, "water and blood cannot flow together".