Two low-intensity explosions reported at Jammu Air Force Station in occupied Kashmir
Two low-intensity explosions were reported in the technical area of the Jammu Air Force Station early on Sunday morning, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said, adding that no equipment had been damaged.
“One caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area. Investigation is in progress along with civil agencies,” it said in a tweet.
The first explosion took place at 1:37am (IST) while the second occurred at 1:42am (IST), according to a report by The Indian Express. The report stated that two people sustained minor injuries.
A bomb disposal team and a team of forensic experts were dispatched to the area soon after the explosions, police officials said.
An alert was also sounded across the Jammu division, the report said.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act — related to terrorist acts and conspiracy — and also under provisions of The Explosives Act, Indian publication Scroll.in reported.
Meanwhile, two people have been arrested in connection with the explosions, The Indian Express report said. One suspect was arrested by police near a shopping centre in the jurisdiction of Trikuta Nagar Police station and an improvised explosive device (IED) was seized from him.
Additional Director General of Police, Mukesh Singh, told the publication that the IED weighed nearly five kilogrammes.
Air Force stations in Ambala, Pathankot and Awantipora have been placed on high alert after the explosions, India Today reported.
Suspected drone use being probed
Meanwhile, authorities launched an investigation into the suspected use of drones by militants after the two explosions, two senior security officials said on Sunday.
They added that the blasts have caused concern in security circles as they could mark the first time that drones have been used in an attack in India.
Meanwhile, a top government official in New Delhi said Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was expected to review the security situation and that the latest blasts were being probed.
Separately, a senior security officer told Reuters that the suspected use of drones in the attack, if established, would present a major challenge for security forces in the area.
