How gritty CISF personnel thwarted Pakistan attack on Uri hydro plant

New Delhi: Another story of grit and valour during India's Operation Sindoor has surfaced. Soon after India launched the operation to dismantle terror camps in the neighbouring country, Pakistan targeted Uri Hydro Electric Power Plant near the Line of Control(LOC). However, the attack was thwarted. No damage was done to the plant, thanks to the efforts of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is tasked with protecting strategic installations. A small band of CISF personnel foiled the attack with their unwavering courage and steely determination.

A total of 19 personnel of the CISF, which provides security cover to the project, were awarded the Director General's disc for shielding critical national infrastructure by displaying "exemplary" courage. That night, the personnel shot down drones targeting the installation and evacuated civilians even as gunfire broken out from the Pakistani side.

On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed terrorist hideouts across the LOC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.

To retaliate the Indian attacks, the Pakistan Army carried out heavy, indiscriminate shelling on Indian territory. The shelling put crucial infrastructure at grave risk and endangered nearby civilian populations. Just a few kilometres from the LoC, CISF units deployed at the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) sites were thrust to the front lines. The personnel were put on high alert.

Pakistan Army's key target was the Uri hydro plant, which is located on the River Jhelum in Baramulla district. Apart from the plant, the nearby civilian populations were also under threat. As shells were being pounded near residential buildings, CISF personnel went door to door evacuating civilians — including women, children, NHPC staff and their families. The personnel neutralised the drones even as they carried out the evacuations. Their vigilance and preparedness ensured that critical national assets remained fully secure.

The team carried out their operation under Commandant Ravi Yadav. In a statement, CISF said: "During the most volatile phases of the exchange, CISF troops neutralised hostile drones targeting the installations and secured armoury stockpiles by swiftly redistributing weapons to prevent potential destruction."

ASI Gurjeet Singh, who was among those awarded, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times, "Our personnel jammed and shot down enemy drones near the main entrance of Uri II project. The larger drones were neutralised by our sister agencies. None of their drones inflicted damage at the plant."

The government’s intelligence network proved strong, and the personnel on the ground were fully prepared. In a statement, the CISF said the officers carried out real-time threat assessments, reinforced bunkers, ensured uninterrupted critical communications, and neutralised hostile drones.

The CISF statement said: "Amid intense cross-border shelling, CISF teams at Uri Hydro Electric Projects displayed extraordinary courage, safeguarding vital national assets and evacuating 250 civilians to safety despite the high risk to their own lives."

This was for the second time that Uri was targeted. On September 18, 2016, the Army base in Uri was attacked by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. As many as 19 were killed and over 30 others were injured in the attack. A six-hour gun battle between security forces and the terrorists ensued, after which all the four terrorists were eliminated.

Nine days after the attack, the Army crossed the LoC and dismantled terror launchpads in POK. More than 100 terrorists were killed in the attack.