Latest news with #KartikCSeshadri
News18
21-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Why Did Pakistan Attack The Golden Temple?
On Monday, May 19, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15th Infantry Division, revealed that Pakistan targeted the Golden Temple with missiles and drones on May 8. Indian defences stopped the attack cold. But why did Pakistan do this? Let's dig into the facts. Earlier, Khalistani demagogue Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had made wild claims that '20 million Sikhs stand with Pakistan". Pakistan Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan said in parliament on April 29, 'Let them know that the Sikh army will not attack Pakistan because it's the land of Guru Nanak." Now, if Pakistan is such a friend to Sikhs, why target their holiest shrine? The answer cuts like a kirpan: this was a Pakistani-Khalistani plot to destroy the Golden Temple in pursuit of their wish to create chaos in India. It was a scheme in which Pakistan and its puppet Khalistanis saw Sikhs and Sikhi as mere collateral damage for their agenda. advetisement
India.com
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Did India Deploy AD Guns Inside Golden Temple? Army Says…
New Delhi: It could have turned out catastrophic if India had not been ready. A barrage of Pakistani missiles and drones hurtled through the skies. They had a well-defined destination – military bases, civilian areas and Amritsar's sacred Golden Temple. But fortunately, they all measurably failed to hit their targets, thanks to India's full-scale air defence preparedness. Protecting civilian targets was top priority of the Indian defence forces. But defending a place of religious important, the Golden Temple, needed something more. Some media reports are circulating with respect to the deployment of AD Guns in the Golden Temple. However, the Army clarified that no AD guns or any other AD resources were deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the upgraded L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15 Infantry Division, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, revealed how he and his soldiers did a job well done. 'We had already anticipated that they would target religious places as the Pakistan Army did not have any legitimate targets. Given geographical location, the Golden Temple was the most vulnerable target,' he said. Accordingly, the Army pressed into action 'holistic air defence umbrella' around the holy site that included modern air defence systems such as L-70 guns and AKASH missile batteries. Meant for shaking India, the drone and missile assault came to retaliate India's Operation Sindoor, which was a precision strike launched on the intervening night of May 6-7. Indian controlled and well-coordinated attacks targeted terrorist infrastructures at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including AKASH missile system, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 These attacks were India's loud and clear response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians who were both Indian and foreign tourists. Talking about India's military offensive, Major General Seshadri said, 'Consequent to Pakistan Army-sponsored dastardly terrorist attack on innocent tourists, the nation's anger under able leadership took the form of Operation Sindoor, under which befitting punitive strikes were carried out on exclusive terror targets.' He said nine major terror hubs were hit – seven of which were destroyed by the Army. 'Of these, the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke, near Lahore, and the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters at Bahawalpur were struck with absolute precision,' he said. He clarified India's position. 'We issued a statement – clarifying that we intentionally did not target any Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure,' he added. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the upgraded L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 Pakistan responded as expected, but not with soldiers. It responded with drones and missiles, aiming to terrorise Indian civilians and hit religious places. 'We were fully prepared and thwarted their plan. Our alert air defence gunners shot down all drones and missiles aimed at the Golden Temple. We did not allow even a scratch,' said Major General Seshadri. This was one of the first instances when the religious site came under direct threat from coordinated aerial attacks. Defence officials did not mince words. One of them said that the Pakistan Army lacks the courage or capability to face Indian forces directly. 'Hence, it uses terrorism as a national policy and resorts to unmanned aerial weapons launched from its own soil,' the officer said. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC, 15 Infantry Division says "Indian Army is a professional, righteous and responsible force which in spite of grave provocations, has always responded in a calibrated and measured manner. We target only terrorists in… — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 He continued, 'Drones and long-range missiles were launched. Indian military installations, civilian population centers, including innocent women and children, were also not spared. They even targeted our faith. Pakistan touched a new low.' He emphasized that Golden Temple witnessed a 'surfeit of drone and missile attacks, all thwarted by our Army air defence gunners'. #WATCH | Amrisar, Punjab: Soldiers of the Panther Division of Indian Army say "...We are representatives of the will enter and kill the enemy from within, now we don't fear anyone. There is revenge in the mind, there is passion in the heart and pride in the eyes. To… — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 As the skies lit up with defence operations, locals near the border stood with the Army. A farmer from a Punjab border village, Jasbir Singh said, 'Our Army is the pride of our nation. They protected us and the Golden Temple. We stood with them in the fields. They kept their promise.' Meanwhile, soldiers from the Panther Division expressed fierce determination. 'We are representatives of the panther. We will enter and kill the enemy from within. We do not fear anyone. There is revenge in the mind, there is passion in the heart and pride in the eyes. To uproot terrorism, India has launched Operation Sindoor,' said an officer. The message is crystal clear: India's faith will not fall to missiles.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Indian Army guns were deployed at Golden Temple during Op Sindoor, Head Granthi cooperated: Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha
Indian Army's incharge of air defence Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha recently revealed that during Operation Sindoor, the Golden Temple management allowed the Indian Army to deploy air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha said, "It was very nice that the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple allowed us to deploy our guns." "It is possibly for the first time in many years that they switched off the Golden Temple lights so that we could see the drone coming," Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, the Director General of Army Air Defence, noted. He said the unprecedented cooperation from the Golden Temple authorities came after they were briefed on the gravity of the threat, following which Indian Army guns were deployed. The Director General said, "The Golden Temple hierarchy realised there was possibly a threat when it was explained to them. They allowed us to deploy guns to secure and protect the monument of international fame which is visited by hundreds and thousands of people every day." "Hence, these guns were deployed, and the golden temple lights were switched off so that we could clearly visualise the drones as they were coming in. That gave us a greater clarity in the sky because as and when you saw the light, you knew what to engage," the Director General explained. Earlier on Monday, Major General Kartik C Seshadri told news agency ANI that Pakistan engaged in an air assault with aerial weapons, including drones and long-range missiles, targeting the Golden Temple. Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC (General Officer Commanding) 15 Infantry Division, said that armed forces anticipated that Pakistan would target Indian military installations, civilian targets, including religious places. 'Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent," he said. '...alert army air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's nefarious designs and shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple," he added. Pakistan military had resorted to firing and shelling cities along borders with India after India launched precision attacks on at least nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir Operation Sindoor on May 7. Operation Sindoor was launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan retaliated by using drones to target Indian cities. India then conducted retaliatory strikes in Pakistan, destroying nearly 20 per cent of Pakistan's air force infrastructure.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
What is air defence grid used by the Indian Army to protect Golden Temple from Pakistan's attack?
A senior Indian Army officer on Monday confirmed that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the intervening night of May 7-8 after Indian forces took down terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with precision strikes. Pakistan's failed strike, which included drones and long-range missiles, was intercepted by the Indian military's elaborate air defence grid. What is it? According to the Army, the Golden Temple was one of the primary targets in what officials are calling a "massive air assault" launched by Pakistan in the early hours of May 8. Also Read | India's indigenous Akashteer system played 'the most important' role during Operation Sindoor: Army official 'Knowing that the Pakistan Army does not have any legitimate targets, we anticipated it would target Indian military installations and civilian areas, including religious places. Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent (target). We also received credible intelligence that it was a prime target, which we had brainstormed earlier,' Major General Kartik C Seshadri, who is commanding an infantry division in Amritsar, told ANI. The Indian Army's Air defence systems played a critical role in repelling Pakistan's misadventures. The Army on Monday showcased a demonstration of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the AKASH missile system, L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistan's missile and drone attacks. Also Read | What sets Operation Sindoor apart from past strikes on Pak-backed terrorism? Army veterans answer 'In the hours of darkness, Pakistan carried out a massive air assault with drones and long-range missiles. We were fully prepared since we had anticipated this. Our alert army air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's nefarious designs and shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple. Thus, not allowing even a scratch to our holy Golden Temple,' Seshadri added. As per Bharat Electronics Ltd, the Akash air defence missile system is a medium range, surface-to-air missile system which provides area air defence against multifarious air threats to mobile, semi-mobile and static vulnerable forces and areas. The system has cutting-edge features with cross-country mobility. Also Read | 'Even if Pakistan relocates general HQ...': Top Army officer reveals India's prowess after 'Operation Sindoor' The real-time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation enable simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction. The entire system is flexible, upscalable and can be operated in group and autonomous modes. It employs command guidance and relies on phased array guidance radar to guide the missile till intercept, it added. L-70 air defence guns were also deployed by the Indian Army around the Golden Temple. It includes an integrated Fire Control System with Optronic Sight Consisting of Eye Safe LRF, DLTV and TI, autonomous ballistic computation with round-to-round correction for muzzle velocity and TILT with TC/FC radars. On May 7, Islamabad launched aerial attacks using drones and missiles at multiple towns and cities in India, including Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Phalodi, Uttarlai, Nal and Bhuj. India's AD systems, combining the assets of the IAF, army, and navy, performed with exceptional synergy, fended off all the attacks. India's AD grid operated with multiple weapons across four levels, depending on the distance of the incoming target. The weapons that formed part of the grid included the S-400 system, medium-range surface-to-air missile system (Barak 8), the Pechora air defence system, Spyder quick-reaction missiles, and upgraded L-70 and Zu-23-2B guns. The attack by Pakistan on India came in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India's retaliatory offensive on nine targeted terror camps deep inside Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives. Operation Sindoor struck key terrorist hubs like Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba HQ) and Bahawalpur (Jaish-e-Mohammed HQ) with surgical precision and killed more than 100 terrorists in the strikes.
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Pakistan army targetted the Golden Temple
New Delhi: Pakistan targeted the Golden Temple in Amritsar in response to Operation Sindoor destroying terror outfits deep inside its territory, said Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15th Infantry Division. Speaking to ANI, he said, 'Knowing that the Pak Army does not have any legitimate targets, we anticipated that they would target Indian military installations, civilian targets including religious places. Of these, Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent.' Pakistan unleashed a barrage of drones and long-range missiles in the wee hours of May 8. However, the Indian Army, alert and prepared, intercepted and destroyed each one of those. 'We mobilised additional modern air defence assets to give a holistic air defence umbrella cover to Golden Temple,' Major General Seshadri added. On Monday, the Indian Army displayed a demonstration of how the air defence systems comprising AKASH missile system and L-70 Air Defence Guns, successfully neutralised incoming Pakistani threats, safeguarding the Golden Temple and other regions of Punjab. The defence ministry earlier confirmed that multiple Indian cities and military bases, including Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Bhuj, were targeted in the overnight assault. Explosions were also reported across Kashmir. On the intervening night of May 6–7, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror outfits in Pakistan's Muridke and Bahawalpur. The strike was in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
