‘We are very afraid’: Hours before ceasefire, Punjab village hit by drone filled with dread

On the evening of May 9, residents of Khai Pheme Ki village in Punjab’s Ferozepur district were far from anxious about the India-Pakistan conflict.

Despite the blackout and the official orders to stay indoors, Jasgeer Singh, 30, had stepped out to meet his neighbours and banter about the crisis,

Around 9 pm, all that changed with a sudden flash and a deafening explosion.

“Everyone panicked and ran home,” said Singh.

Moments later, more than a dozen red lights appeared in the night sky, said Tek Chand Uppal, a resident of the village. “They kept blinking and they made no noise,” he said. “It seemed like they could fall on you any time.”

These were Pakistani drones and one of them had crashed into the home of Singh’s neighbour, Jaswant Singh.

Jaswant Singh and his parents, Lakhwinder and Sukhwinder, were having dinner on the verandah when it happened.

The son, 27, ended up with minor injuries to his leg. But his parents suffered severe burns and were rushed to a hospital in Ferozepur town.

One of their cows was also burnt badly.

“The war has already started for me and my family, though we did not want a war,” Jaswant Singh told Scroll at the hospital.

Hours later, on Saturday evening, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that India and...

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