JUNE 30, 2021
Twin drones attacked the Indian Air Force station in Jammu on Sunday, injuring two IAF
personnel and damaging a portion of the building. An initial probe conducted by the Jammu
and Kashmir Police and security agencies indicated the role of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-
Taiba (LeT) in the drone strike.
Within 24 hours following the twin drone explosions, two similar devices were noticed
moving over the Ratnuchak-Kaluchak military area in Jammu, thereby prompting soldiers to
open fire at them, officials said on Monday. This has led the government to go for a new policy
to deal with emerging threats. The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) handed the
investigation into the attack to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A case has already
been filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, measures and
strategies to counter Weaponised drones used for terror purposes against strategic and
commercial assets were discussed. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, among others.
The Border Security Force is in the process of acquiring a ground-based standalone platform
capable of detecting lone, suspicious flying objects or groups of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs) and reacting quickly. Indian Army has already been given the go-ahead to acquire
artificial intelligence-equipped drones that can be deployed during such attacks.
Recent incidents have shown how small drones have been improvised by terror groups to
carry explosives. So, an urgent need to acquire artificial intelligence-equipped drones has been
felt," the Home Ministry official said.