India's air defence foiled Pakistan's May 8 strike on Golden Temple in Amritsar

In a display of exceptional bravery and strategic preparedness, the Indian armed forces successfully protected multiple cities in India’s border states during the recent conflict with Pakistan.

The confrontation saw a series of drone and aerial assaults, which were intercepted and neutralized before they could cause any damage to civilian infrastructure. The Indian Army’s air defence systems played a pivotal role in countering these threats.

On Monday, the Army presented a demonstration showcasing how its air defence systems—such as the AKASH missile system and L-70 Air Defence Guns—helped prevent missile and drone attacks from reaching key targets, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar and other locations across Punjab.

Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15 Infantry Division, highlighted that intelligence inputs had indicated potential strikes on both military and civilian establishments, with religious sites among the primary targets.

“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. Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent. We mobilised additional modern air defence assets to give a holistic air defence umbrella cover to Golden Temple,” Major General Seshadri said.

He confirmed that Pakistan launched an air assault involving drones and long-range missiles aimed at the Golden Temple, but Indian troops were ready and effectively neutralized the threat.

“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. 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. Thus, not allowing even a scratch to come on our holy Golden Temple,” he added.

The senior officer also detailed the background of Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of domestic and international tourists. The operation involved strikes deep inside Pakistani territory.

“Consequent to the Pak Army-sponsored dastardly terrorist attack on innocent tourists, both domestic and international, the nation's anger under able leadership took the form of Operation Sindoor, wherein befitting punitive strikes were carried out on exclusive terror targets. Nine targets were hit. Of the nine targets, seven were exclusively destroyed by the Indian Army,” Major General Seshadri told ANI.

He further stated that the Indian armed forces executed the strikes with high precision, targeting areas like Muridke and Bahawalpur, known to be strongholds of terrorist organizations. “Of these (nine) targets, Muridke, which is in proximity to Lahore, houses the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba headquarters and also the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters at Bahawalpur, which were struck with absolute precision. Soon after the strikes, we issued a statement clarifying that we intentionally did not target any Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Throughout the heightened tensions, India’s Air Defence Systems demonstrated their operational excellence, intercepting a variety of airborne threats including drones, missiles, micro UAVs, and loitering munitions—solidifying their status as a formidable asset on the global defence stage.