Panic in the skies, rumour on the ground: When a missile was intercepted over Sirsa

Little did he know how close he was to the action unfolding between India and Pakistan – what residents heard was the sound of a Pakistani missile being intercepted in the skies, and its debris landing in the area.

“We were so stunned that we did not even capture a video on our phones,” he recalled, saying that they did click some photographs of the remnants of the missile, which were cleared by 8 am. And then, he said, the family went back to sleep on the rooftop.

Police personnel near the debris of an unidentified projectile which landed amid the conflict between India and Pakistan, at Wadala Bhittewad village near Amritsar, (PTI Photo)

The site where the debris fell is close to AV International Public School. A smaller portion fell in a village 16 km away.

Superintendent of Police (Sirsa) Mayank Gupta told The Indian Express that “the explosion was heard in two villages post midnight”.

“Police and Indian Air Force personnel reached the spot. Debris of the projectile was recovered from two villages, nearly 16 kilometres from the Sirsa air force station. It was collected and handed over to IAF officials. Details about the projectile can only be shared by them,” he said.

On Saturday morning, during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s briefing, India showed photos to debunk Pakistan’s claim that the Indian Air Force station in Sirsa had been damaged in a missile strike.

The Sirsa Air Force station, which was unscathed in Friday night’s attack, had also acted as a forward air base for squadrons in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

The station, situated near the Ghaggar river, was established in 1960 as a maintenance unit. Now home to combat squadrons of the IAF, it is a part of the Western Air Command.

“During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, this airbase was targeted by the Pakistani Air Force, after which the district administration took strict measures to handle any emergency situations,” Sirsa MP Kumari Selja said.

Harikant Rohilla, 51, who runs a particle board factory in the area, recalled being woken up by a “huge explosion”. Other residents said the blackout that was enforced hours earlier meant they were prepared for such an eventuality.

Pintu, 29, a vegetable seller near a petrol pump on Hisar Road, said he saw bright streaks in the sky. “Our whole mohalla woke up,” he said.

Shavan, 38, a trader, added, “It felt like there were two bright balls in the sky. I rushed to make sure my children are alright. We heard it was heading to Delhi but good that it crashed here.”