Latest news with #SumerIvanD'Cunha
Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Army deployed air defence to protect Golden Temple from Pak drones: Lt Gen
Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha says Army deployed guns at Golden Temple to counter Pakistani drone threats; operation was cleared after coordination with temple authorities The Indian Army deployed air defence systems at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to neutralise drone threats from Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Director General of Army Air Defence Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha has said. In an interview with ANI released on Monday, Lt Gen D'Cunha said the deployment was made after temple authorities understood the nature of the threat and coordinated with the Army. 'The Golden Temple hierarchy realised there was possibly a threat when it was explained to them. They allowed us to deploy guns to protect… the Golden Temple's lights were switched off so that we could clearly visualise the drones as they were coming in,' he said. Debris of Pakistani drones, missiles recovered During a demonstration in Amritsar, the Army showcased debris of intercepted drones and missiles launched from Pakistan and brought down by upgraded systems including the L-70 Air Defence Guns and the AKASH missile batteries. 'These systems allowed for improved targeting and visibility, especially when aided by temple authorities switching off exterior lights,' Lt Gen D'Cunha added. First Published: May 20 2025 | 4:20 PM IST
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How India prepared to take on Pakistan's swarm of drones
In an interview to ANI, Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha said just weeks before the India-Pak near-war, the Army had conducted a border exercise that involved neutralising a very large number of drones. He also underlined how India's decision to retain and upgrade its gun-based air defence system proved to be a strategic advantage
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Business Standard
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Army denies air defence gun deployment at Golden Temple during Op Sindoor
The Indian Army on Tuesday clarified that no air defence (AD) guns or resources were deployed at the Golden Temple premises during Operation Sindoor, countering earlier media reports and a statement by the Army's own Director General of Air Defence. 'Some media reports are circulating with respect to deployment of AD guns in the Golden Temple. It is clarified that no AD guns or any other AD resource was deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar (Golden Temple),' the Army said in a statement. Lt Gen D'Cunha's earlier remarks The clarification came a day after Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha told ANI in an interview that air defence systems were deployed to protect the Golden Temple during Operation Sindoor. 'The Golden Temple hierarchy realised there was possibly a threat when it was explained to them. They allowed us to deploy guns… the lights were switched off so that we could clearly visualise the drones as they were coming in,' D'Cunha said in the interview. His remarks drew immediate denials from the Golden Temple authorities and Sikh religious leadership. Golden Temple authorities reject Army's claim Giani Raghbir Singh, Head Granthi of Golden Temple, stated he was abroad during Operation Sindoor and was never contacted by any Army official. He added that if any member of the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) was involved, the committee would investigate and take action. Giani Amarjeet Singh, the additional head priest, also denied D'Cunha's claim. He clarified that the temple lights were switched off in line with blackout instructions issued by the Amritsar district administration — not due to any military deployment. The SGPC, the apex Sikh religious body, has also denied granting any permission for Army deployment within the complex. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor, the code name for coordinated missile strikes launched on terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was conducted in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people. In retaliation, Pakistan resorted to heavy firing and shelling across the border areas along the Line of Control (LoC). Border districts in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan witnessed blackouts as the tensions escalated between the countries.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No nod for Army guns at Golden Temple: Clergy
AMRITSAR: Any suggestion that Golden Temple authorities allowed Army to deploy air defence weaponry on their premises to foil Pakistani attacks in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor is "utterly shocking and untrue", the Sikh religious leadership said Tuesday, contesting a statement attributed to air defence in-charge Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha. "No such permission was ever granted," Giani Amarjeet Singh , additional head granthi of the shrine, said.. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said lights along outer circle of Golden Temple were switched off based on a security-related request from the administration. But he insisted there was "no communication with any Army official regarding installation of air defence guns at Golden Temple". In a statement later in the day, the Army said, "It is clarified that no air defence (AD) guns or any other AD resource was deployed within the premises of the Golden Temple."
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
No air defence guns deployed at Golden Temple, says Indian Army
Amid row over a top military official's claim that anti-drone weapons were deployed on the premises of the Golden Temple during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army on Tuesday clarified that no air defence guns were put up at the shrine. The assertion came after the Golden Temple management and the head granthi (priest) of the shrine vehemently denied some media reports (quoting the army official) that claimed that permission had been given to the forces to deploy air defence guns to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan. 'Some media reports are circulating with respect to deployment of air defence guns in the Golden Temple. It is clarified that no such resources were deployed on the premises of the Golden Temple,' said an army in a release. On Monday, Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, the army's in-charge of air defence, was quoted by news outlets as saying that the head priest (Giani Raghbir Singh) had permitted the deployment of air defence guns in the shrine complex. Prior to this, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, the general officer commanding (GOC), 15 Infantry Division, said that Golden Temple was targeted by Pakistan forces with missiles and drones and India's air defence system had successfully intercepted and destroyed them to protect the shrine. Terming the statements 'propaganda', Giani Raghbir said, 'I was not contacted by any army officer. There was no communication on any gun deployment, nor did any such incident occur at Sri Darbar Sahib. In any case, I was on leave in the US for 22 days. I went on April 24 and returned on May 14. The conflict started after I left and ended before I returned. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should probe the army's claims and take departmental action if any SGPC member is found involved in this matter.' In an official statement by the SGPC, additional head granthi Giani Amarjit Singh, who was officiating in Giani Raghbir Singh's absence, said the administration contacted them only about switching off the lights during the blackout after recent escalation of tension between India and Pakistan and they fully cooperated in the interest of administrative responsibility. Despite the tense situation in recent days, the full religious code of conduct continued at Harmandar Sahib with dedication and discipline, he said. He denied granting any permission to the army and reiterated there was no such weapon deployment at the shrine. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also said no army officer contacted him and neither was any air defence gun put up at the shrine. He said even during the blackout, devotees continued to do sewa (voluntary service) at the shrine and had any such event occurred, the sangat (followers) would have certainly noticed it. Dhami acknowledged the commendable role played by the Army and the country during the tense circumstances, but emphasized that 'spreading such falsehoods about the central religious place of Sikhs days after the events is shockingly untrue'. He also demanded a clarification from the government.
