Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan put on high alert after Operation Sindoor

People from areas along the LoC and the International Border (IB) shifted to a temporary shelter. Pic/PTI

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, many states have announced the closure of schools, blackouts in border districts, and cancellation of leave of police personnel and administration officials. The stringent measures were taken by Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar. In Punjab, the leave of all police personnel has been cancelled while the state government has shut schools in six border districts, officials said on Thursday.

All schools in six border districts of Punjab - Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran - have been shut until further orders. A blackout was enforced in several districts, including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali, and Gurdaspur in Punjab and the Union Territory Chandigarh on Thursday evening, officials said.

In neighbouring Haryana, the leave of state police personnel and those working in the health department has been cancelled till further orders. The Delhi government also cancelled leave of all its employees till further orders due to the escalating hostilities. In Himachal Pradesh, which shares a border with Punjab, security has been beefed up in bordering districts, including Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur.

The Rajasthan government too has cancelled leave of administrative and police personnel deployed near the International Border and closed schools in five bordering districts. With a high alert sounded in the border districts of western Rajasthan, a blackout has been instituted in these areas. As a safeguard against possible air strikes, the blackout is being enforced from 9 pm to 4 am in Barmer and Jaisalmer owing to the presence of critical infrastructure there. In Jodhpur, a blackout will be enforced from 12.30 am to 4 am.

India downs Pak missiles

Pakistan fired eight missiles directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia and all were intercepted and blocked by air defence units, defence sources said on Thursday. The sources said visuals over Jammu remind of exactly Hamas-style attack on Israel like multiple cheap rockets. Pakistan Army is operating and behaving like a terror organisation Hamas. Last month ISI and Hamas met in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Explosions were heard as Indian air defence intercepted Pakistani drones in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani drones were intercepted by Indian air defence in Jaisalmer. A complete blackout has been enforced in Bikaner in Rajasthan and in Jalandhar in Punjab. Blackouts have also been enforced in Kishtwar, Akhnoor, Samba, Jammu, and Amritsar, Jalandhar. Escalating its tensions with India, Pakistan targeted Jammu with loitering munitions on Thursday and Indian Air Defence guns are firing back.

100 terrorists killed: Rajnath Singh

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Pic/PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told an all-party meeting that at least 100 terrorists were killed when India struck terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under the still ongoing Operation Sindoor, sources said. "Operation Sindoor claimed the lives of at least 100 terrorists. It is difficult to give an exact estimate as the operation is still ongoing and we are still collating the details," a source at the meeting quoted Singh as saying. Singh informed the same to opposition leaders, who fully endorsed the government's military action and complimented the armed forces. Leaders from all parties have extended full cooperation to the Centre on the issue of national security.

13 civilians killed in Pak shelling

Pakistan's ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) have claimed the lives of 13 civilians in Poonch sector, and injured a total of 59 people, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. Out of the total injured, 44 were from Poonch. The Pakistan Army has been resorting to heavy shelling in several sectors along the LoC that was effectively responded to by the Indian Army, military officials said.

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