Amid India-Pakistan strain, border villagers share worry: Loud explosion then…

Mint

10-05-2025

Schools remained closed, and so did most businesses, as people in the border districts woke up to a tense Saturday morning, hung heavy with the wail of air raid sirens and the foreboding of what the day would bring.
People in several border districts of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir spent an anxious night as authorities enforced a complete blackout for the second consecutive day amid heightened tensions with Pakistan.
People residing near the border areas narrated their terrifying experiences to news agency ANI. A local from Rajasthan's Barmer said: 'About 5:15 in the morning, we heard some sound, and several things, like drones, were seen in the sky. When we came, we found this debris on the road...'
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Panic spread across a local neighbourhood in Haryana after a loud explosion was witnessed late at night, followed by the discovery of a mysterious object near a church the next morning.
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Describing the incident, a local resident said, 'My son saw this and told me that something was over us. We saw from our terrace that something was blasted with a loud explosion. It formed a red-coloured sphere. In the morning, we saw that it had fallen near a church.'
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Jammu West, Arvind Gupta, said: "...Around 5.40 am, I was on the first floor of my house, which is around 50 metres from here. There was a sudden impact, I was a little scared. Within 15-20 minutes, I came to know about here. We came here...Pakistan has no guts to have a direct fight with our Army. So, it has started attacking the residential areas. The only reason behind the attack on residential areas is to cause panic in Jammu City. I appeal to the people to not gather wherever anything like this happens so that nothing untoward happens there if an attack happens there again...Rajouri ADC too lost his life..."
A local from J&K's Udhampur exuded confidence in the Indian Army and said: 'We are with the country and our security forces. With the gods' mercy, nothing has been damaged here but trees...'
Pathankot resident Jarnail Singh lauded the government for foiling Pakistan's attempt to hit areas in the border district.
An eyewitness, Ashraf, recounted the incident, saying, "There was a loud explosion at 5.45 am...Following that, we came here...There was an object found lying here...We called up the Local Head, who then called up the Police. They came and retrieved it then. We didn't know what it was...There are no casualties."
Pakistan continued its drone attacks, targeting 26 locations in India - from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat - for the second consecutive night on Friday. In response, India activated its air defence network to neutralise the threats.
"Drones have been sighted at 26 locations along the International Border and LoC with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala. Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance, and security forces have sanitised the area. The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch & prompt action is being taken wherever necessary. Citizens, especially in border areas, are advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential," the Ministry of Defence said in its statement.