Lieutenant General Sumer D’Cunha said that the unprecedented cooperation from the Golden Temple authorities came after they were briefed on the gravity of the threat.
The Head Granthi and management of Amritsar’s Golden Temple, one of the revered Sikh shrines, allowed the Indian Army to deploy guns air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, Indian Army’s incharge of air defence Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha has revealed.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Lt General said that the Golden Temple’s lights were switched off for the first time in history in a bid to facilitate better detection and engagement of enemy drones, which helped the Indian defence forces spot and engage Pakistani drones more accurately.
“It was very nice that the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple allowed us to deploy our guns. It is possibly for the first time in many years that they switched off the Golden Temple lights so that we could see the drone coming,” Lt General D’Cunha said.
#WATCH | Delhi: When asked how many drones were sent by Pakistan during the recent conflict, DG Army Air Defence Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D’Cunha says, “…I would say anything between maybe 800 to 1000 across the whole western border in four days. A large number of them were destroyed.… pic.twitter.com/S7YGs1X3ON
— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025
The Director General further said that the successful neutralisation of drones at the Golden Temple demonstrates India’s growing capabilities in countering potential threats at sensitive locations.
“Fortunately, we visualised what they (Pakistan) were capable of doing. Realising that they would target it because they had no legitimate targets across the border. They were more interested in creating confusion, chaos internally, and hence, we visualised that they would target our civil population and our religious places of worship,” he added.
The senior officer further thanked the Golden Temple authorities and said that the unprecedented cooperation from the authorities came after they were briefed on the gravity of the threat.
“The Golden Temple hierarchy realised there was possibly a threat when it was explained to them. They allowed us to deploy guns to secure and protect the monument of international fame which is visited by hundreds and thousands of people every day. Hence, these guns were deployed, and the golden temple lights were switched off so that we could clearly visualise the drones as they were coming in. That gave us a greater clarity in the sky because as and when you saw the light, you knew what to engage,” he added.
How Golden Temple Was Protected?
During the recent conflict with India, Pakistan attempted to target the revered shrine and other cities of Punjab with missiles and drones, but the attacks were successfully thwarted by the Indian Army.
Earlier today, the Indian Army showcased via a video that how the attempt was foiled by Indian Air Defence systems, including the AKASH missile system and the L-70 Air Defence Guns.
According to Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC (General Officer Commanding) 15 Infantry Division, the Indian Army had anticipated Pakistan’s move to target its military installations along with civilian establishments in Amritsar, including religious places such as the Golden Temple, which was the prime target according to information received from the intelligence.
“On May 8, 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,” ANI quoted Seshadri as saying.