'Massive air assault with drones, long-range missiles': How Indian Army thwarted Pakistan’s plan to hit Golden Temple after Operation Sindoor

Senior Indian Army officer Major General Kartik C Seshadri revealed on Monday that Pakistan attempted to strike the Golden Temple in Amritsar with drones and long-range missiles on the night of 7–8 May.

The attack was described as retaliation to India’s recent Operation Sindoor, in which Indian forces hit nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Army said Pakistan had no military targets and was likely to go after civilian and religious sites instead.

"Knowing that the Pak Army does not have any legitimate targets, we anticipated that they would target Indian military installations, civilian targets including religious places," said Major General Seshadri. "Of these, Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent,” he added.

Indian Army was prepared in advance

According to the Army, they had already anticipated such a move and deployed additional air defence systems to protect the Golden Temple.

"We mobilised additional modern air defence assets to give a holistic air defence umbrella cover to Golden Temple," the officer said.

The assault began in the early hours of 8 May, when Pakistan launched a major air offensive using drones and missiles under the cover of darkness.

"On 8th May early morning, in the hours of darkness, Pakistan carried out a massive air assault with unmanned aerial weapons, primarily drones and long-range missiles," Major General Seshadri said.

Army intercepts and destroys all incoming threats

Thanks to the Army’s preparation, no damage was caused to the Golden Temple or surrounding areas. All incoming drones and missiles were successfully neutralised by India’s air defence systems.

"We were fully prepared since we had anticipated this, and our braveheart and alert army air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's nefarious designs and shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple," the officer said. "Thus, not allowing even a scratch to come on our holy Golden Temple.”

The Indian Army later demonstrated how its air defence units, including the AKASH missile system and L-70 Air Defence Guns, effectively intercepted the airborne threats.

Multiple Indian cities were also targeted

The Ministry of Defence had earlier confirmed that the attack was aimed not only at the Golden Temple but also at several other Indian cities and military locations. These included Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Bhuj. Loud explosions were reported across Kashmir during the assault.

"These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems," said the Defence Ministry in a statement.

Context: What triggered Operation Sindoor?

India’s air strikes under Operation Sindoor came in response to a deadly terrorist attack on 22 April in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. In a coordinated operation, Indian forces hit nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK, triggering the retaliatory drone and missile strikes.