Frequently under fire, Adampur residents stay awake all night

Residents of the region, who had been spending sleepless night amidst a wave of aerial attacks from Pakistan on which Jalandhar and Adampur prominently featured, were relieved after declaration of ceasefire between India and Pakistan. For Jalandhar, residents, it was a steady escalation in the past two nights — with the intervening night of May 9 and 10 witnessing the most intense wave of aerial attacks, so far.

Debris were recovered from several places in Jalandhar and some in vicinity of Adampur. Since last night, drone debris were reported from Kangniwal, Nahal (near Gakhal), Sarmastpur and other villages. In Kapurthala, debris were reported from Ucha Pind. At Kangniwal, videos of a huge shell, shrapnel and mother board went viral on social media. A migrant worker at Kangniwal, who was reportedly sleeping in the open, was hit by shrapnel from a drone.

Jalandhar was reportedly rocked by seven to 10 explosions last night between 1.30 am and 2.15 am. Adampur residents reported the strongest aerial attacks from 7 am to 9 am today, during which explosions were also heard. An Adampur resident said, “Red blazes were seen in the sky. None of us slept all night. The strongest attack was in the morning from 7 am to 9 am. The ceasefire has come as a huge relief for us.”

The Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Adampur and the Indian Oil Depot at Suchi Pind remained under a heavy attack last night from the Pakistani side as several drones and missiles were targeted at it. The first drone hit the IAF base at 1.30 am on Saturday. Soon after, missiles and drones kept flying towards it. The heaviest attack came around 9.30 am. It was during this time that civilians living within 3 km vicinity of the airbase also felt tremors of something falling down heavily. Soon after, some smoke was seen bellowing out of the compound by locals hinting at some possible damage.

The attack was ascertained from the facts that missile remains were found from peripheral villages of Adampur. The burnt remains of missiles and drones were found from Sarmastpur, Kangniwal, Isharwal and Dhogri villages this morning by teams of defence personnel. Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal said, “We are aware that several drones and missiles were targeted at the IAF base, but thankfully all attacks were neutralised.”

Even the Indian Oil Depot at Suchi Pind on Jalandhar-Amritsar road was one of the prime targets for Pakistani attackers. Several drones came to this side between 1.30 am and 4 am. Drone and missile remnants were recovered from depot’s vicinity too.

Jalandhar