The Indian Army on Tuesday denied reports suggesting that it had deployed air defence systems inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar to counter Pakistani drone and missile attacks during Operation Sindoor.
“Some media reports are circulating with respect to the deployment of AD Guns in the Golden Temple. It is clarified that no AD guns or any other AD resources were deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar (The Golden Temple),” the Indian Army said in an official statement.
The claim has also been categorically denied by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex Sikh religious body.
The Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, Singh Sahib Giani Raghbir Singh, also dismissed the deployment of air defence systems within the shrine premises. “I have no information that the Indian Army reached out to us. I was on leave and travelling abroad. I want a thorough investigation into this matter. It must be made clear what the Indian Army’s real intent was behind this,” he said.
‘Amritsar targeted multiple times by Pakistani drones and projectiles’
Amritsar was targeted multiple times by Pakistani drones and projectiles in response to India’s Operation Sindoor, which was launched as retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack.
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The clarification came in the wake of reports that the Golden Temple management had allowed the Army to deploy air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential strikes from Pakistan.
The reports quoted Air Defence Chief Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha claiming that the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple had granted permission for the deployment of air defence systems within the sacred premises.
“It was very nice that the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple allowed us to deploy our guns. It is possibly the first time in many years that they switched off the Golden Temple lights so that we could see the drones coming,” Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha said in an interview with news agency ANI.
‘Army had anticipated Pakistan might target religious sites’
D’Cunha added that the Indian Army had anticipated Pakistan might target religious sites near the border, given the absence of legitimate military targets.
Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15th Infantry Division, had earlier said that Army Air Defence gunners had successfully intercepted all drones and missiles aimed at the Golden Temple.
India and Pakistan were recently engaged in heightened military action after India launched strikes on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In retaliation, Pakistan targeted Indian civilian areas with nearly 1,000 drones, all of which were successfully shot down by Indian air defence systems.
