Panic set among the residents of Punjab’s border villages in Amritsar as a series of loud explosions and flashes of light illuminated the night sky at 1am early Thursday morning. The disturbing episode, followed by a power cutoff, caused large-scale alarm in the wake of ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s targeted attacks on terror camps within Pakistan and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
By the morning, suspected wreckage of missiles was found in fields and near houses in Jethuwal, Makhan Windi, and Pandher villages, places located on the periphery of Amritsar city.
“Everyone panicked. A portion of the missile dropped in a field at Jethuwal after the blast, and pieces were scattered over houses as well. The villagers told the police who came and removed the debris,” said Parkash Singh, a resident.
Watch:
#WATCH | Projectile debris found in an open field in a border village of Amritsar district in Punjab pic.twitter.com/85MYeCmQ9w
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025
Weird Lights in Sky
Makhan Windi, near Jethuwal, also reported the sighting of missile debris. Police were informed, and Army personnel arrived at the scene shortly after. Another metallic object was subsequently recovered from Pandher village, which comes under the Majitha police station.
Between 2am and 1am, the residents woke up in response to the blast and said that they had also seen weird lights in the air. “I woke up because of a jolt upon hearing the blast. Then, relatives and family members in the city began ringing us up because they too had heard the explosion,” said advocate Jaswinder Singh, who continued that some fragments of metal also fell on to a neighboring roof.
Local officials, however, were tight-lipped on the matter. “The protocol has been altered, we cannot comment on this issue,” replied a high-ranking police officer of Punjab Police’s border range, refusing to say more.
#WATCH | Army personnel cordon off the area where projectile debris has been found in the border area of Amritsar district pic.twitter.com/mV9CAY2nO8
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025
Amritsar on High Alert
Amritsar has been put on high alert following Operation Sindoor, India’s military retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. The Indian Armed Forces allegedly struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the crack of dawn on Wednesday.
The airport in Amritsar has been shut down since the morning of Wednesday and will continue to be closed until otherwise notified.
Jaswinder Singh called for authorities to bring the situation out into the open. “Administrative authorities need to make their point on the situation so that people remain cautious accordingly,” he asserted.
