11-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala students face panic during drone attack amid tensions in Jammu and Punjab
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aleena Manoj, an MTech student at IIT Jammu, was having dinner with her friends at the hostel canteen around 8.30 pm on May 8 when the lights suddenly went out. During a mock security drill conducted on the campus earlier in the day, the students were informed that there would be a blackout after 10 pm. This was owing to the possibility of a retaliatory strike by Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor. But the sudden blackout caught them unawares.
A few hours later, amid the pitch darkness, the students heard heavy firing in the vicinity. They huddled together inside the hostel, fearing the worst. Little were they aware that the air defence system stationed in Jammu was busy shooting down Pakistani drones that came in by the dozens. After a few minutes, the explosions subsided, but a sleepless night lay ahead for the students.
'It was a first-time experience for us. Due to the loud firing, we couldn't sleep anymore. With the curtains drawn up, we were following the latest news updates on our mobile phones' Aleena, who hails from Kasaragod, told TNIE. She added that Pakistan's flagrant act of choosing civilian centres for attacks was shocking and unheard of.
