Security agencies were put on alert near Amritsar's Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Punjab late on Sunday night after two to four suspicious flying objects, initially believed to resemble drones, were spotted in the sky. Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued an immediate alert on noticing the activity, and as a precautionary measure, seven flights scheduled to land in Amritsar were rerouted to Delhi and Chandigarh.
According to initial information, the incident took place around 10 pm on Sunday. As per eyewitnesses and preliminary inputs, the suspicious flying objects were seen approaching the airport from the direction of nearby Rurala village. They reportedly hovered over the runway and surrounding area for some time. Given the proximity of the activity to the runway, landings were halted immediately and flights were diverted to other cities as a safety measure.
With passenger safety prioritised after the suspicious activity was observed close to the runway, landings at Amritsar were stopped and the seven affected flights were immediately sent to other airports. Some of the flights were directed to land safely in Delhi, while others were sent to Chandigarh.
Amritsar is located close to the India-Pakistan border, which is why such activity near the airport is being treated with particular seriousness. As soon as the incident came to light, the CISF, Punjab Police and central security agencies swung into action, and vigilance was stepped up across the area.
However, it has not yet been officially confirmed whether the objects seen in the sky were indeed drones or some other flying object. Agencies are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding area in an effort to establish where the objects came from and what their purpose was. Vigilance in the area has been increased for now, and the investigation report is awaited.