IndiGo flight to Amritsar diverted back to Delhi midway after blackout

After a blackout was enforced, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Amritsar was diverted back to the national capital midway.

Precautionary blackout measures were enforced in Punjab's Amritsar and Hoshiarpur districts on Monday. Electricity has also been switched off in some areas of Jalandhar, officials said.

"As a precautionary measure, lights have been switched off in some areas around Suranassi as there have been reports of drone sightings. We are verifying them. There is no (total) blackout as of now. There is nothing to worry, as confirmed by armed forces officers. They are on regular vigil as always," Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said in a message at 9:15 pm.


Punjab shares a 553-kilometre border with Pakistan.

An air-raid siren was sounded in Amritsar, which lies along the border.

"We are alert. We are enforcing a blackout," Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said in a message and urged people to stay away from windows.

The Amritsar administration has urged citizens to remain calm. "We will notify you when the electricity supply is ready to be restored. Do not panic."

In Hoshiarpur district, blackout measures were enforced in Dasuya and Mukerian.

A semblance of normalcy was observed in the border areas of Punjab on Monday, with markets teeming with people even though schools in some districts remained shut as a precautionary measure following the suspension of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

New Delhi and Islamabad reached an understanding on May 10 to halt military actions after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.