Markets shut in Pathankot after explosion-like sounds; air sirens ring out in Punjab districts

Chandigarh: Pathankot in Punjab went into alert mode on Saturday after explosion-like sounds were heard in the border district, with the local authorities ordering closure of markets in the region as a precautionary measure.

After a night of bristling tension, people woke up to explosion-like sounds in Pathankot and Jalandhar districts, while air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur amid a sharp upturn in the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

Punjab shares a 532-km border with Pakistan.

The district authorities in Pathankot has set up a control room, which will function round-the-clock for the convenience of the people, officials said.

Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal has urged people that if any material or object falls from the sky, they should inform the nearest police station or contact the control room.

"It has been observed that some people pick up such items and they take them, which can prove dangerous," Uppal said, as he warned of legal action against such persons.

He also asked people that if any such material is found lying on the ground, they should neither go near it nor touch it.

Besides Pathankot, people also heard explosion-like sounds in Jalandhar district on Saturday morning, while air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur, officials said.

In Haryana's Sirsa too, some locals claimed they heard blast-like sounds after midnight.

A police officer from Sirsa said debris of an unidentified metallic object landed in the fields of a village shortly past midnight.

"We were sleeping when we heard a loud sound. In the morning, we found that a metallic object had fallen in the fields. Later, defence personnel came and collected the debris," a villager said.

An unidentified projectile also landed in a residential area at Kanganiwal village in Jalandhar district early Saturday, officials said.

The locals said a migrant labourer was injured in the incident, while a few houses in the area also sustained damages. Parts of the unidentified object were lying in the area, they said.

"I was standing near a window when some object hit a water tank (of a house) around 1.30 am, shattering glasses of 4-5 houses before landing," a woman from the area said.

A migrant labourer who suffered injuries on his arm was taken to the hospital, she said.

Satinder Kumar, a local, said, "The water tank of our house was damaged, while many window panes were also shattered. There was smoke all around." Another local resident, Muskan, too said a big explosion took place at night that forced several people to come out of their homes.

"One car was damaged...We were all scared," she said.

Sharing her experience, Surjit Kaur said a red-coloured light flashed in the sky which was followed by a big explosion.

"Water tanks of some other houses in the area were also damaged," she said.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Aggarwal has urged people to avoid large gatherings or crowding as part of the precautionary measures.

He also urged people to avoid moving out in the open or in tall buildings, besides ordering closure of markets in Jalandhar Cantt and Adampur.

"Malls and high-rise commercial buildings in the rest of the district will remain closed today," the DC said, asking people to stay calm.

Akshita Gupta, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Phagwara, said an advisory has been issued to keep all marketplaces, barring medical stores, closed in Phagwara city on Saturday.

Malls and commercial high-rises in the rest of the district will also remain closed, officials said.

In Kapurthala too, all the commercial establishments remained closed on Saturday.

Debris of unidentified objects were also found at some places at Beas in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran districts, officials said.

An unidentified object fell in a field between Khalyan and Sahni villages in Phagwara district early Saturday, officials said.

Locals said an explosion-like sound was heard at 2.40 am from the fields of Major Singh at Khalyan village towards Sahni.

The impact of the unidentified object created a crater about 7-8 feet deep and 12-14 feet wide in the field, the officials said.

Similarly, an unidentified projectile fell in a field at Chhichhra village in Gurdaspur district early Saturday, leaving a crater.

The strikes followed after Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations in India -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- for the second night on Friday.

According to officials, the security forces thwarted multiple drone attacks launched by Pakistan in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka and Amritsar districts.

In Ferozepur, three members of a family were injured on Friday night after a crashing projectile from a Pakistani drone destroyed by the Indian air defence system landed at their house at Khai Pheme Ke village, setting the structure and a car on fire.

Tensions between India and Pakistan soared significantly after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.