IAF fighter jet shoots down mysterious object in Rajasthan

When the Republic Day parade was under way at Rajpath in Delhi, hundreds of kilometres away in the border district of Barmer in Rajasthan a suspect flying object was shot down by the Air Force on Tuesday morning.

The balloon-shaped object was detected by Air Force radar between 10.30 and 11 am. A Sukhoi-30 was immediately launched which intercepted the object and brought it down. The IAF said that further investigation is under process. The possibility of a “balloon” travelling across the border has not been ruled out but the officials were not willing to confirm if the object was a commonly-used meteorological balloon, or whether it was equipped with cameras and other devices for reconnaissance.

Meanwhile, a team of Air Force officers has travelled to Gugdi, a village in Barmer in Rajasthan, where villagers had complained that “material” were dropped by a fighter plane had caused cracks in some houses. A loud explosion was accompanied by a dust storm caused by the planes, said villagers. However, nobody was reported injured.

The local police also visited the village. “Upon inspection, 4-5 angular objects were found and the pieces were collected,” the administration said in a statement. “Similar objects were also found in Panawda, which were collected for investigation purposes,” it said.

The police said that they are constantly in touch with IAF officials and the collected objects will be sent to IAF for inquiry. “Prima facie, the objects do not seem to be bomb-like. (The district administration) will write to the IAF to inquire how the blast happened and what these objects are,” police said.