Chandigarh, 9 May

The Chandigarh administration on Friday sounded a fresh air raid siren, appealing to people to remain indoors.

“An air warning has been received from the air force station of a possible attack. Sirens are being sounded. All are advised to remain indoors and stay away from balconies,” an official statement issued by the Chandigarh administration said.

About an hour later, it said the siren for the alert was over.

Chandigarh is the common capital of Punjab and Haryana. The development came amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan.

The district administration in neighbouring Panchkula too sounded a similar siren and appealed to people to stay indoors.

Meanwhile, the Mohali district administration in Punjab has advised people living in the areas bordering Chandigarh to remain indoors.

"There is an alert in some areas of Chandigarh. We are advising Mohali residents in the bordering sectors to remain indoors and away from windows and glass panes," a message shared by the Mohali administration said.

The district administration in Patiala also issued an advisory urging people to stay indoors and remain calm. “Please avoid stepping out unless it is absolutely necessary.

All educational institutions in the district are closed until further notice. Residents are strongly advised to stay indoors and away from balconies, rooftops, and open areas,” the advisory said, as it urged people to contact the control room in case of an emergency.

A similar air siren was sounded in Chandigarh on Thursday night as India swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, after foiling its attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country.

According to the defence ministry, the Pakistani military on Thursday night attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj.

The renewed attempts by the Pakistani forces came after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’ in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.