Blackouts imposed across Punjab and Chandigarh amid military alerts and security concerns
Authorities in several districts of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh imposed indefinite nighttime blackouts beginning Thursday, following alerts from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Army in the wake of heightened tensions along the India-Pakistan border after Operation Sindoor.
The affected areas include Amritsar, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Chandigarh, with neighboring Mohali and Haryana's Panchkula also ordering lights-out measures. The decisions, officials said, are precautionary and stem from security advisories amid rising speculation about aerial threats.
In Hoshiarpur, the district administration was among the first to act. Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain on Tuesday night ordered an indefinite district-wide blackout, directing all external lighting—household, street, generator, and inverter-based—to remain off. 'The blackout has been ordered as a security measure based on inputs from the Indian Air Force,' Jain said. 'It will remain in force until further instructions.' She urged residents to cooperate and avoid panic.
The move came hours after a mysterious cylindrical object—white, metallic, and marked 'Test Port Seeker'—fell into the courtyard of a home in Ghagwal village, Hajipur. The device, which had protruding wires and created a loud noise on impact, was recovered by police and later handed over to an IAF team. Officials suspect it may be a data recorder from an aircraft. Forensic and anti-sabotage teams were dispatched to the site.
In Pathankot, Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal, said, 'Considering recent developments, we cannot take things lightly. The public must follow blackout protocols,' he said. He described the May 7–8 midnight blackout as a readiness drill for potential emergencies.
In Gurdaspur, a nightly blackout from 9 pm to 5 am has been ordered by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, to remain in effect until further notice. Military zones are exempt. Similar advisory-based blackouts are in place in Tarn Taran, Sangrur, Patiala, Faridkot, and Jalandhar, depending on real-time alerts from defense agencies.
Amritsar, which saw blackouts both Wednesday and Thursday night, has also imposed a ban on fireworks, including aerial and Chinese variants, at weddings and religious events. The district administration, invoking Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, cited the potential for panic. 'The ban will stay in effect until further notice,' officials stated.
To curb hoarding, Amritsar DC Sakshi Sahni has formed a special task force led by the district food supply controller and mandi officer to monitor markets. 'No one will be allowed to hoard essentials like grains, milk, petrol, diesel, or fodder,' she said. 'There is no shortage in the district, and the public should not panic.'
Meanwhile, Tarn Taran has ordered all schools shut from May 8 to 11, citing student safety.
Concerns have escalated following the Ministry of Defence's disclosure that potential aerial threats to Amritsar, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, and Bathinda were neutralised by the IAF overnight on May 7–8.
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