Blackout in many parts of Punjab, markets, cinemas shut at 8pm
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, Punjab's border districts and other areas enforced blackouts starting Friday night. Patiala and Hoshiarpur implemented strict measures, including closure of public spaces and prohibition of outdoor lighting, to reduce visibility.
PATIALA/HOSHIARPUR: A widespread blackout was enforced in border districts and many other parts of Punjab from around 8pm on Friday in the wake of the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
Patiala announced a complete
nighttime closure
of public spaces and strict
blackout protocols
, effective Friday.
Similarly, Hoshiarpur DC Ashika Jain ordered a blackout in the district at 8.15pm.
As per the directive issued by Patiala deputy commissioner-cum-district magistrate Preeti Yadav under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Security Code, 2023, all cinema halls and shopping malls in the district will remain closed daily from 8pm to 6am. In addition, the use of inverters, generators, outdoor lights, billboards, streetlights, and solar lighting systems is strictly prohibited during blackout periods.
Operation Sindoor
India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan
India-Pakistan tensions: Delhi airport issues travel advisory
Operation Sindoor: Multiple explosions heard at several Pakistan air bases
"Given current intelligence inputs suggesting the possibility of drone and aerial strikes from Pakistan, a complete blackout may be required during nighttime hours to reduce visibility and exposure," said Yadav in a press statement.
To further reduce visibility and risk, the use of fireworks and high-intensity laser or DJ lighting during the evening has also been banned. Residents have been urged to avoid non-essential outings after dusk.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary
Marketsall
Sign Up
Undo
"If any sirens or alerts are issued by the administration, the public must comply immediately and reduce all forms of lighting," the statement added.
Exemptions to the order include personnel from police, paramilitary forces, air force, SPG, hospitals, emergency services, and other essential government functions.
"Any violation will be dealt with under Section 223 of the Indian Justice Code, 2023, and other applicable laws," the district magistrate warned.
Similarly, Haryana ordered a blackout during the night hours from 8 pm to 6 am until further notice.
District magistrate Ajay Singh Tomer said: "At 10:20 am (Friday), we received a warning from the Air Force that they had spotted a drone, which could move towards Ambala. At that time, it was 70 km away from Ambala. On receiving this information, we started sirens, and all disaster management teams were kept on standby mode to deal with any situation."
"The situation went on for about 10 to 15 minutes, after which we turned off the sirens. The Air Force later informed us that the drone was not proceeding towards Ambala, and it had not been spotted for some time, so we turned off the sirens," said the DM.
Regarding the explosions heard by the residents on Friday, Tomer clarified that nothing of that sort was reported. Schools, colleges, and institutes were ordered to close down and the students were sent back home.
Around 11 am, the DM also issued an alert that an air warning was received from the Air Force station of a possible attack, due to which sirens were sounded. He said all people were advised to remain indoors, away from balconies, and only venture out in case of urgency for the next two hours. As a security measure, Sirsa Roadways suspended its services to Amritsar and Katra. While services to other locations remain operational, Roadways authorities increased vehicle checks and are preparing to convert buses into ambulances by removing seats if required.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Iran 'strongly' condemns US veto of UN Gaza ceasefire resolution
Displaced Palestinians return to retrieve their belongings from their homes in the area where the Israeli army operated in the northern Gaza Strip (AP) TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday denounced the United States on Thursday for vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access in Gaza. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that the US move to block the resolution, which was supported by 14 of the 15 members of the council, demonstrated "the country's complicity in the crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) and strongly condemned it". The draft resolution had demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties" and the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in the war-torn Gaza Strip. It also called for the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the territory. Baqaei said the veto "is not only an explicit affront by the US government to the will of the international community ... but also a sign of the moral decline of American decision-makers" and evidence of Washington's complicity in Israel's killing of Palestinians. Washington's envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea, said on Wednesday that passing the resolution "would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground and emboldens Hamas," which is backed by Iran. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Tehran, which does not recognise Israel, has framed the Palestinian cause as a central tenet of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iranian diplomat also called on the international community to "employ all their individual and collective capacities to compel the Zionist regime and its supporters to stop the killings in Gaza."
News18
19 minutes ago
- News18
'Pakistan Dangles Nuclear Bogie To Get Us All Excited & Nervous': Shashi Tharoor In US
Last Updated: Tharoor, while speaking at a public discussion with former US ambassador Kenneth I Juster, urged against undue worry, reinforcing India's strategic nuclear doctrine During a recent public discussion with Kenneth I Juster, the former US ambassador to India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offered a nuanced perspective on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's robust response against Pakistan with Operation Sindoor, particularly addressing concerns about potential nuclear escalation. Tharoor began by providing context for his international engagements, noting his privilege in leading a ' multi-party delegation ', underscoring that while not encompassing all 41 parties in the Lok Sabha, his group represents five significant political entities. This delegation embarked on a tour of several nations, including Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the United States, to effectively communicate India's anti-terror stance. Tharoor highlighted a poignant moment during the team's visit to New York. 'When we first landed in New York, we went to the 9/11 memorial and that I think set the tone for the trip because we wanted to situate this problem right there in solidarity with victims of terrorism from around the world," he said. Transitioning to the immediate aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and India's response, Tharoor dismissed any suggestion of nuclear escalation, terming it 'laughable". He said that the incident fell 'so far short of anything remotely approaching to a nuclear threshold". Tharoor attributed such fears to what he termed a 'nuclear bogie" often dangled by 'our Pakistani friends to get all of us excited and anxious". To substantiate his argument, Tharoor drew parallels with ongoing global conflicts. 'I mean, we have a nuclear power engaged in a war for 2.5 years in Europe, and no one has talked about nukes yet. Why would 2.5 days in India suddenly lead to fears of nuclear escalation?" he said, pointing to the Russia-Ukraine war. He further reminded the audience of the historical context of India-Pakistan relations, noting four past wars between the two nations. He pointed to the Kargil War of 1999, which occurred after both countries had declared themselves nuclear powers and lasted for a month, yet 'nobody talked about nukes". Tharoor concluded by urging against undue worry, reinforcing India's strategic nuclear doctrine: 'India, by the way, has already declared its policy of 'No First Use'." This policy, he implied, serves as a strong deterrent against any preemptive nuclear action, ensuring that India would not be the one to 'brandish a nuclear threat". (With PTI inputs) First Published: June 05, 2025, 20:08 IST
India Today
31 minutes ago
- India Today
BJP's Bihar playbook: Invisible RSS hand powers Modi's might
As Bihar inches closer to assembly elections, the BJP is scripting an all-encompassing narrative—one that stretches beyond electoral arithmetic and seeks to reconfigure the very grammar of the state's politics. It's a calibrated blend of nationalism, social justice, Hindutva and development, all wrapped in the charisma and authority of Prime Minister Narendra beneath this grand narrative lies a disciplined ideological machinery: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose invisible hand continues to shape the BJP's game in one of India's most politically complex emotional pivot of the campaign is nationalism, turbocharged by Operation Sindoor, India's military retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. The BJP has draped this operation in the colours of patriotism and turned it into a rallying cry for unity and Patna, on May 29, the streets turned saffron and steel. Cultural performances, replicas of BrahMos missiles, chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', and a curated spectacle of military pride set the stage for a seven-km-long roadshow by Modi. The following day, in Bikramganj in Rohtas district, the prime minister addressed a packed rally. His words, as always, were a blend of conviction and choreography. 'This is not the era of war,' Modi declared, pausing just long enough before adding, 'but this is also not the era of terrorism. Zero tolerance against terrorism is the guarantee for a better world.'advertisementThe audience erupted. Modi wasn't just talking national security—he was imprinting himself as the architect of India's decisive will. And he knew exactly where he was standing. Bihar is the new social laboratory for BJP, where it will test how its socialist deviation will react to the Hindutva and nationalism has visited Bihar twice in a month. In his playbook, followed over the past decade, he increases his footfall in poll-bound states while local units of the BJP and the Sangh mobilise the narrative around nationalism, development and Hindutva and the prime minister's appeal as a decisive is just one spoke in the BJP's electoral wheel. A more strategic, and in some ways surprising, manoeuvre has been its decision to embrace the demand for a national caste census. For years, the BJP had steered cautiously around the issue, mindful of its upper-caste base and wary of letting the Mandal-era anxieties creep Bihar's electoral terrain leaves no room for hesitation. By formally backing caste enumeration within the upcoming census, the BJP has signalled its intent to reclaim the narrative of social justice from caste-based parties, such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal (United), and the likes of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Vikassheel Insaan Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular).advertisementThis pivot is not ideological backtracking—it's tactical evolution. Party leaders frame the census move as 'data for dignity'. The idea is to address longstanding demands of representation and welfare, while positioning the BJP as a party that listens and adapts. What's more, this shift allows the party to blur the rigid backward vs forward caste binary that has long defined Bihar the BJP's new storyline, caste is acknowledged, but harmonised under a larger umbrella: national progress and Hindu unity. In previous elections, caste-based outfits tried to push back the BJP as a party of upper castes, who resist social justice and reservations. Now, in Bihar, the BJP will build the narrative that it's a party of all broader ideological integration is being quietly orchestrated by the RSS, which has intensified its grassroots work across Bihar. Shakhas have grown in number. Pracharaks are embedded deep in rural districts, especially in caste-sensitive regions like Mithila, Magadh and Seemanchal. The Sangh's volunteers are engaging in nuanced caste dialogues, mapping booth-level dynamics and subtly pushing a narrative of 'samrasta'—harmony among Hindus of all earlier times, when Hindutva was more loudly proclaimed, the current model is calibrated, understated, yet expansive. The Sangh doesn't want Hindutva to be merely identified with a party. It wants it to be seen as a broader social and cultural movement, one that survives political Maharashtra model is instructive here. When Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena—once the most vocal proponent of Hindutva—broke ranks and joined hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the RSS didn't flinch. 'Ideological alignment is not the same as ideological ownership,' a senior Sangh functionary noted. And when the alliance shifted, so did the loyalties on the followed in Maharashtra was telling: the Sangh quietly realigned ground-level loyalties, undercut the Thackeray-led Sena, and reinforced the BJP's base with surgical precision. In Bihar, a similar template is being pursued. The goal is to promote a subtle but overarching Hindutva, one that integrates with social justice rather than clashes with it, and one that builds lasting loyalty beyond the election this ideological work is the legislative push that the BJP hopes will activate its core base—amendments to the Waqf laws. Framed as a step to democratise and bring transparency to the management of Waqf properties, the BJP claims it will benefit poor Muslims who have long been excluded from institutional control. Critics call it divisive. But in Bihar's political soil, where identity and property are intertwined, the BJP's messaging finds fertile ground: fairness over appeasement, accountability over then, there is development—still the most resonant theme in Modi's repertoire. Every speech, every rally, every government press release has invoked the 'double-engine sarkar'. Bihar, says Modi, has potential but needs 'infrastructure with intent'. During his recent visit, he inaugurated the new terminal at Patna airport, laid the foundation for the Bihta civil enclave, and flagged off infrastructure projects connecting AIIMS and Danapur. All this was not just ribbon-cutting; it was branding. Modi as 'Vikas Purush', as Bihar's party knows, however, that projecting development alone is not enough in a state where unemployment and rural distress still linger. Which is why every infrastructure headline is paired with outreach narratives: that central schemes like PM Awas, Ujjwala and Ayushman Bharat have changed lives. That these are not just policies but personal guarantees delivered by Modi. The BJP's messaging aims to blur the line between state and Centre, between ideology and the BJP may go into the Bihar polls without projecting a chief ministerial face, much like it did in Maharashtra. There, the absence of a declared chief minister helped the party sidestep factionalism and keep the campaign Modi-centric. In Bihar, the move is even more strategic—it helps the BJP escape anti-incumbency linked to chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose popularity has waned even among traditional supporters. Without tying itself to Nitish's record, the BJP retains flexibility: it can criticise his failures while promising continuity where decision also dovetails with the Sangh's longer-term view. The RSS isn't just focused on winning an election—it is focused on embedding ideological permanence, especially in a state as politically fluid as Bihar. With the BJP keeping the chief ministerial post open and the Sangh engineering caste recalibration on the ground, the idea is to institutionalise a cultural emerges, then, is a campaign that is less about a single masterstroke and more about a grand orchestration—a symphony of nationalism, cultural consolidation, data-led social justice, and Brand Modi. The BJP is not merely contesting an election in Bihar; it is attempting to rewrite the coordinates of how politics is done in the this strategy culminates in a clear electoral mandate will be decided in the final arithmetic of the ballot. But the BJP's ambition is larger than a simple win. It wants to leave behind a political structure in Bihar that speaks its language—long after the ballots have been to India Today MagazineMust Watch
