Any Military Drone Crossing Border Will Be Shot Down: Lt Gen Kler

The Punjab Police said the terror group was conspiring to unleash a series of strikes in Punjab & adjoining states.

Punjab police recovered these weapons from the a terror module of the Khalistan Zindabad Force on 22 September.

(Photo: ANI)

Amid reports of drones being used to drop weapons from across the border, a top Army commander on Wednesday, 25 September, said Indian armed forces are capable of identifying such devices and any military drone venturing towards Indian side from Pakistan will be "shot down".

Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a first-of-a-kind seminar on artificial intelligence, at Hisar Military Station, South Western Command chief Lt Gen Alok Singh Kler also said there was "nothing to worry" at the moment.

“At present, the drones that you see being demonstrated at the event here, their capacity for carriage is very low. And, from what we are hearing, the reports coming about drone being used across the border, their capacity is (also) very small. So, there is no need to worry.”

Lt Gen Alok Singh Kler, chief, South Western Command

Lt Gen Kler said the systems and radars of the Indian armed forces are in place.

“And any military use of any drone, which comes to our side, will be shot down by the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and the Army.”

Lt Gen Alok Singh Kler, chief, South Western Command

WHAT HAD HAPPENED

The Punjab police on 22 September had claimed to have busted a terror module of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), backed by a group based in Pakistan and Germany.

It said the terror group was conspiring to unleash a series of strikes in Punjab and adjoining states. Initial investigation revealed use of drones to deliver weapons and communication hardware from across the border.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that this has added a "new and serious dimension on Pakistan's sinister designs" after the August 5 decision of abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

He also urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to handle the "drone problem" at the earliest.

"Recent incidents of Pakistan-origin drones dropping consignments of arms and ammunition is a new and serious dimension on Pakistan's sinister designs in aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370. Request @AmitShah ji to ensure that this drone problem is handled at the earliest," Amarinder had tweeted.

WHERE WERE THE TERROR MODULE MEMBERS ARRESTED

Four members of the KZF module – Balwant Singh, alias Nihang, Akashdeep Singh, alias Akash Randhawa, Harbhajan Singh and Balbir Singh – were arrested on the outskirts of Chohla Sahib village in Tarn Taran on Sunday.

During questioning, the accused told investigators that Global Positioning System(GPS)-fitted “big” drones were used to drop arms and ammunition from across the border in Tarn Taran district.

“Drones were sent from across the border seven to eight times to deliver arms and ammunition,” an official said, adding that the weapons were airdropped this month. One drone can lift up to 10 kg of weight, he added.

WHAT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE TERROR MODULE

Five AK-47 rifles, 16 magazines and 472 rounds of ammunition, four Chinese-made .30 bore pistols, along with eight magazines and 72 rounds of ammunition; nine hand grenades, five satellite phones with their ancillary equipment, two mobile phones, two wireless sets and fake currency with the face value of Rs 10 lakh were seized.

The Punjab chief minister had on Sunday urged the Centre to alert the Air Force and the Border Security Force about the possibility of drones being used to supply weapons from across the border and also direct them to launch necessary counter-measures.

WHO IS SUSPECTED TO BE BEHIND THE TERROR MODULE

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta had said that the weapons were suspected to have been delivered recently from across the border by the ISI, state-sponsored jihadi and pro-Khalistani terrorist outfits working under its command.

“The large-scale infiltration appeared to have been aimed at scaling terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Indian hinterland in the wake of the recent developments in the valley.”

Dinkar Gupta, Punjab Director General of Police

Punjab government had also decided to hand over further investigations to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) , given the international links and ramifications of the conspiracy.