New Delhi: A suspected Pakistani drone on December 26 shot down, hovering above the border near Amritsar, Punjab, by a prompt Border Security Force (BSF) action was not an isolated incident. In regard to the infringement on Indian airspace in the recent past Indian security forces guarding the International border in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have been witnessing many such attempts.
The BSF Jawans have been alive to the frequent buzzing sound that points to another drone entering into Indian air space from the Pakistani side in the last few months.
Following which one such incident was reported, on December 21 the BSF troops shot down a drone that had entered Indian air space from Daoke Border Outpost (BoP) in the Amritsar sector from the Pakistan side on the International Border.
As per reports, the BSF has shot down a record 16 drones so far, till December first week this year also the force has adopted an anti-drone system and in-depth patrolling to tackle this increasing drone menace. The trans-border drone activities are observed from time to time mainly in Punjab’s Amritsar and Kathua, Samba and Doda in Jammu & Kashmir.
On November 26 another incident was recorded where the security personnel fired six rounds from their INSAS rifles and downed a suspected flying object coming from the Pakistani at Daoke Border Outpost (BoP) in the Amritsar sector on India-Pakistan international border.
Later it was found that a China-made Quadcopter DJI Matrice 300RTK brand drone, lying in the field near the border. A few cameras were also found fitted on the drone.
Further in an Incident, the Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in dropping ammunition through drones in the general area of the Baspur Bangla RS Pura in the union territory, as per police reported on October 31. In an official statement, the drone was seen making suspicious movements in the said area on the intervening night of October 27, and October 28.
On November 28, women personnel of the BSF shot down a Hexacopter drone weighing 18.050 kg near Chaharpur village in Amritsar (Rural) district in Punjab when it was entering Indian territory from Pakistan. This time the drones were found to be carrying 3.110 kg of narcotics.
Security forces from January 2022 to September 2022 observed the illegal entry of 191 drones into Indian territory from neighboring Pakistan, raising major concerns in terms of internal security in the country, as per the documents.
Out of the 191 drones which were observed, as per the documents 171 drones entered into Indian territory through the India-Pakistan border along the Punjab sector while 20 were seen in the Jammu sector.
Also, the documents further documents further reveal that most of these drones or UAVs managed to flee while a total of seven have been shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. And the seven drones which were shot down this year between January 1 to September 15 were observed in Punjab’s Amritsar, Ferozpur and Abohar regions.
The first drone was shot down by the BSF on January 18 in Punjab’s Amritsar near Havelian Border Out Post (BoP), as per the inputs. On February 13 a BSF personnel again shot down another drone soon after it entered Indian territory and was observed near CB Chand BoP in Amritsar. The BSF personnel also shot down two drones on March 7 and March 9 in Ferozpur’s TJ Singh and Amritsar’s Havelian BoPs respectively.
Similarly, on April 29, the BSF personnel shot down a drone near Pulmoran BoP in Amritsar. Also on May 8, another drone was shot down 8 when it was observed near Bharopal BoP in Amritsar. The last drone shot down by the BSF personnel was observed on June 26 near Jhanger BoP in the Abohar region of Punjab.
The BSF officials told that drones are being used by Pakistan’s side to transport weapons, explosives and narcotics across the international border in Jammu and Punjab from Pakistan.
In the security review meeting in Srinagar recently the increased drone activity across the border was brought to the notice of Home Minister Amit Shah with top security and intelligence chiefs in attendance.
The state police and the intelligence agencies differ with this assessment while the BSF believes that it has been able to repel drones carrying arms, ammunition and explosives from Pakistan.
In the series of drones shot down so far the security forces have seized various AK series assault rifles, pistols, MP4 carbines, carbine magazines, high explosive grenades as well as narcotics which were transported into Indian territory from Pakistan.
BSF intelligence inputs and Jammu and Kashmir Police officials, the drones are also used to drop packets of Afghan heroin for financing terror operations in the Valley and Punjab as per the security agencies.
It is learnt that the group behind the transportation of weapons, explosives and drugs is Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror outfits which have camps across the International Boundary and are backed by ISI.
Finding out a solution to stop drone activities the Home Ministry is learnt to have directed the concerned agencies meanwhile security agencies and law enforcement forces are asked to keep a special watch on such movements.
With this increasing drone menace, the Indian Army has resorted to innovative methods to deal with it. In a first, the Indian Army has trained kites to prey on enemy drones and they were shown in action during a joint training exercise Yuddh Abhyas of India and US in Uttarakhand’s Auli. (with inputs from ANI)
