Jammu & Kashmir’s Rajouri district’s security forces have beefed up security along LoC following reports of drone activity near the border. The recent incident has led to stepped up surveillance and search processes in forward areas as security agencies investigate the nature of the aerial activity and rule out any possible security threat. There were suspected drones in the Nowshera sector, and troops are on high alert and are constantly checking whether there could be drone activity going on and patrolling all the areas around the LoC.
According to officials, suspected Pakistani drones were seen flying in the LoC in Rumlidhara area of the Nowshera sector around midnight on August 27. Alert troops responded to the aerial movement, and the drones moved back across the border. Security forces then searched in the forward areas to check if anything had been dropped during the suspected drone activity.
Drones are becoming more popular among the police in Jammu and Kashmir in areas where the border area is also particularly sensitive. Unmanned aerial vehicles are difficult to see from the ground even at night. Security forces do not have the ability to identify the drones and therefore need to use surveillance systems and coordination to follow up with their movements. In the Rajouri region, the latest reports have triggered increased checks along the LoC to ensure no new suspicious movements have been reported over the past few days.
The search operation is also significant because security agencies regularly check areas after suspected aerial intrusion to see if any suspicious material may have been left behind. So far no recovery has been reported of the recent incident. The searches are to establish the facts of the sighting and secure forward areas.
The latest development follows other reports of suspected drone sightings in Jammu and Kashmir this year. Security forces conducted search operations in forward areas of Samba and Rajouri after suspected Pakistani drones were reportedly seen near the International Border and LoC in July. The police and other agencies at the time intensified surveillance and conducted joint searches.
Rajouri is strategically important given its proximity to the Line of Control and the hard terrain. The district has been through multiple security-related incidents in the past, so continuous monitoring of its forward places is an important part of border security. The Nowshera sector, where the latest report of drone activity came from, is one of the places where troops keep close watch in the area near the LoC.
The reports also come a couple of weeks after another security incident in Rajouri. On August 27, suspected movement near LoC in the Nowshera sector has led to a security response, with officials stepping up their surveillance in that area. Search operations were carried out to check the forward area and rule out any possible infiltration attempt.
The latest drone-related incident has seen authorities focus so far only on surveillance and searches and not making firm conclusions on what purpose the drone was flying. It has been said that the drones were Pakistani but the meaning behind the sighting was still under investigation. This distinction is important as a first sighting does not in itself establish the purpose of the flight or if any material was delivered.
The security agencies will be monitoring the area closely. The increased alert is to give more information about any extra activity in the area in a very short time period in order to make sure any further unusual activity is detected and forward areas secured. Of course coordination between Army, police and other security agencies is also essential in such situations, since searches could go far beyond the immediate location where an aerial object is found.
Drone sightings have become a more pressing security concern in India's border regions in recent years. Small unmanned aircraft are also capable of being used for surveillance or other purposes, and this is why security forces have developed better monitoring capabilities and procedures. Each sighting needs to be evaluated on its own, and in most cases searches are done before conclusions can be made.
From a residents’ perspective, such incidents can cause temporary increases in security activities to happen and security measures like additional patrols and searches of the border could also be undertaken by residents. The additional security personnel are there for a reason to reassure local communities and the police who can respond quickly in case of any further suspicious activity.
At present there is no official confirmation of casualties or damage from the latest drone sighting in Rajouri. There are people in the area of the drone search and we are going to see if anything if the search returns a significant result, officials said. The goal is to determine whether the drones have penetrated into Indian territory, what path the drones are taking and check the surrounding region.
The recent incident underlines the need for continued vigilance along the LoC, especially in forward sectors such as Nowshera. With security forces constantly monitoring it from above and below (including any aerial and ground activities), we are not surprised the situation gets very bad.
For now, the situation is under close watch. In Rajouri the reported drone movement has triggered a security response and many specifics are still under investigation, but we are not able to verify them. More official information will be needed to know exactly what happened and what kind of additional security precautions need to be imposed.
