Soldier injured in firing at Nagrota Army station in Jammu, search ops underway to track intruder

NEW DELHI: An alert sentry at the Nagrota Military Station in Jammu thwarted a possible intrusion with timely action, leading to a brief exchange of fire during which he sustained minor injuries, the Army’s White Knight Corps said.The incident occurred after the sentry noticed suspicious movement near the perimeter and issued a challenge. In response, there was a brief exchange of fire with the suspect.“Sentry sustained a minor injury. Search operations are underway to track the intruder(s),” the White Knight Corps posted on X.Meanwhile, a complete blackout was enforced in several parts of Punjab — including Pathankot, Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozepur, and Jalandhar — on Saturday evening.The Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar issued a statement asking residents to remain calm, adding that the blackout was a precautionary measure.“Due to recent news in the media and as a precautionary measure, we are turning off street lights in some parts of Jalandhar. Blackout is not called at this time. Plz be calm as Jalandhar is unaffected at this point of time,” the statement read.Earlier in the day, India said that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire understanding reached between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries. The Indian Army is retaliating and is actively dealing with the situation along the border.At a special press briefing, foreign secretary Vikram Misri stated that the violations mark a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier in the day, and that India is taking “very serious note” of the developments.“For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations,” Misri said.“We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility. The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation. They have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the border along the International Border as well as the Line of Control,” he added.India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the ghastly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives. Indian forces had struck nine terror sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Pakistan has since attempted to escalate tensions with a series of unprovoked artillery and drone attacks.Meanwhile, on May 10 in the afternoon a soldier was killed when he was hit by a fragment of a Pakistani drone, which was successfully intercepted by the Army Air Defence at an air base in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Saturday, officials said. The incident took place before the announcement of a ceasefire by India and Pakistan to end their combat activities, which have intensified after the Indian armed forces carried out a missile strike on nine terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir on May 7 in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.The solider was on duty at the Udhampur air base, which came under Pakistani drone attack earlier during the day.The Indian Air Defence successfully intercepted the drones in the air, but a jawan was hit by a fallen debris resulting in critical injuries to him, the officials said, adding that he later succumbed to his injuries.