SGPC, head priest deny Army officer's claim on air defence guns at Golden Temple during Indo-Pak standoff
CHANDIGARH: A day after Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha hinted that air defence guns were deployed at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and additional head granthi of the Golden Temple Giani Raghbir Singh denied the claim.
In a statement released by the SGPC, Giani Amarjeet Singh, additional head granthi of the Golden Temple, clarified that the management had cooperated with the district administration's guidelines regarding the city-wide blackout by switching off exterior and upper lights of the complex within the specified time frame. However, lights at locations where religious code of conduct (maryada) is observed were kept on, and the sanctity of the religious place was maintained with full responsibility.
Singh claimed that no permission was granted to deploy air defence guns during Operation Sindoor, nor was any such deployment allowed at the sacred site.
Despite the tense situation in recent days, the full religious code of conduct continued at the Golden Temple with dedication and discipline, he said.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said the administration contacted them about switching off the lights during the blackout, and they fully cooperated while maintaining the sanctity of the ongoing maryada. However, there was no contact from any Army official regarding the installation of air defence guns at the Golden Temple.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Modi govt gives Armed Forces freedom to..., now India will have much more powerful weapons than Pakistan's...
New Delhi: The success of one month of Operation Sindoor was celebrated on Saturday, June 7 evening. The Defense Ministry has given permission to the armed forces to buy long-range missiles, artillery shells, kamikaze drones and air-to-air missiles. These missiles will be better than the Chinese missiles which Pakistan has. According to experts, the forces have assessed the damage. This shows that the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down four Pakistani Chinese fighter planes. Along with this, two large aircraft were also shot down during Operation Sindoor. Possibly among them was a C-130 J and a SAAB 2000 Airborne Early Warning System. According to the Hindustan Times report, it has also been learned that two F-16 fighter planes were partially damaged in the IAF missile attack. The Indian Air Force attacked 11 airbases including Sargodha, Rafiq, Jacobabad and Noor Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi). The report said that India's Rafale fighter jets, S-400 missile systems and M777 guns performed well. The Russian air defense system shot down three enemy aircraft. Reports also revealed that India destroyed a Chinese LY-80 fire radar. Also, two AN TPQ-43 US radars and a Chinese HQ-9 radar unit were destroyed. The attack was carried out on May 10 at Chaklala. Intelligence has revealed that Pakistan has four HQ-9 radars. Earlier it was believed that they had only two. HQ-9 is similar to Russia's S-300 air defense radar. The Pakistan Army used PL-15 missile. It is made in China and has a range of 180 kilometers. Pakistan merged a 250-kilometer range HQ 9 air defense system with a 150-kilometer range system. This was done at Chaklala and Malir Cantonment near Karachi. They wanted to surprise the Indian Air Force. The action report revealed that the IAF fired 19 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles on Pakistan's air base. Along with this, almost the same number of French SCALP subsonic cruise missiles were also fired. Pakistan fired CM-400 AKG air-launched supersonic missiles. They used JF-17 fighter jets. But these missiles could not do any damage. Pakistan also used YIHA loitering ammunition made in Turkey. Indian electronic warfare systems jammed them. Some missiles missed their target. The rest were shot down by India's air defense system. Pakistan also fired FATAH-1 rockets. They too either missed the target or were intercepted by Indian air defence systems.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Israel reveals tunnel under Gaza hospital, says Mohammed Sinwar's body found there
The Israeli Army said on Sunday (June 8, 2025) it had retrieved the body of Hamas's military chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation last month. Another senior Hamas leader, Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, was also found dead at the scene along with a number of other militants, who are still being identified, said IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin. Israeli forces gave a small group of foreign reporters a tour of the tunnel that had been uncovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which Brig. Gen. Defrin said was a major command and control compound for Hamas. "This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again," said Brig. Gen. Defrin. "We found underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room, a compound of a few rooms. In one of them we found, we killed Mohammed Sinwar," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sinwar's death last month, but Brig. Gen. Defrin said they now had his DNA which proved beyond doubt it was him. Hamas has not commented on reports of the death of either Sinwar or Shabana. Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies, and which triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Shabana was one of Hamas's most senior and battle-hardened commanders in southern Gaza. He played a central role in constructing the network of tunnels under the southern city of Rafah, which were used for ambushes and cross-border raids. Destruction The drive to Khan Younis in Israeli military vehicles showed widespread devastation, with countless buildings lying in ruins, and piles of rubble collected at the roadside. The Israeli military has raided or besieged numerous hospitals during the war, alleging that Hamas uses them to conceal fighters and orchestrate operations — a charge Hamas has repeatedly denied. While Israel has presented evidence in certain cases, some of its assertions remain unverified. Brig. Gen. Defrin said the Army had carefully planned the strike near the European Hospital in order not to damage it. A large trench dug in front of the Emergency Room entrance led down to a hole in the claustrophobic, concrete tunnel, that was used as a hideaway by Hamas fighters, the Army said. During the search of the site, Israeli forces recovered weapon stockpiles, ammunition, cash and documents that are now being reviewed for intelligence value. "We will dismantle Hamas because we cannot live with this terror organisation right in our backyard, right across our border," Brig. Gen. Defrin said. More than 54,000 Palestinians have died during the ongoing Israeli assault, according to Gaza health authorities. The U.N. has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Business of politics after busyness of war
After the immensely successful and strategically path-breaking 'Operation Sindoor,' it is back to business as usual in India that is Bharat. By business, I mean politics. Because politics isn't just about gaining and retaining power, whether at the Centre or the states, it is also India's biggest business. Of course, going back to its original meaning, by 'business', I also mean whatever keeps us busy. Nothing preoccupies the nation, as we know only too well, as much as politics. It is so ubiquitous and pervasive that it obsessively involves us in almost all aspects of our lives—from the family to the nation. That is why I rate it higher than Bollywood, cricket or, for that matter, even religion, as both our national passion and pastime. Not to speak of our topmost source of information and entertainment. And given the wartime—or now post-war but still hostile—environment, the distinction between information and entertainment could not be more blurred. 'Operation Sindoor' was a series of strikes so precise, so restrained, yet so audacious that the world paused to take notice, albeit grudgingly. The whole country, on the other hand, was agog as the Indian armed forces, with their deadly resolve and impeccable aim, delivered a resounding slap to the face of 'rogue nation' Pakistan. The result? Mission accomplished. A masterclass in military might. However, throughout the conflict, we were also embroiled in a deafening, at times sickening, misinformation battle. Not only with our enemy but with ourselves. With political parties jockeying to position themselves as adversarial beneficiaries. Did we forget that we were at war with Pakistan, not with each other? The result? A masterclass in political theatrics, starring none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the main, if not sole and singular, protagonist of this blockbuster. And why not? The nation is no longer at war. Therefore, we must revert to our favourite melodrama, national politics.
