Rajasthan border districts observe blackout as precaution

A complete blackout was observed in the border districts of Rajasthan on Sunday night as a precautionary measure following a suspension of hostilities between India and Pakistan. There were reports that some red lights, suspected to be of drones, were spotted in the sky in Barmer. The district administration sent out an alert on X, “Incoming drone activity spotted. Please stay inside your houses and observe blackout: DM Barmer.” The district administration, however, refuted social media posts about a drone being shot down as factually wrong.

By Monday morning, an apparent sense of normalcy seemed to have set in with the border districts with people gathering at tea stalls and shops, engaging in usual conversations.

Jalam Singh, a Jaisalmer local, said, “Things appear to be as usual now. Last night was peaceful.”

The blackout timings varied across the districts last night. Jaisalmer faced a blackout from 7:30 pm to 6 am, Bikaner from 7 pm to 5 am, Ganganagar from 7 pm until sunrise and Barmer from 8 pm to 6 am. But Jodhpur was spared.

However, schools, colleges and coaching centres in the border areas remain closed as a precautionary measure. “Security forces are alert and all arrangements to face any situation in the wake of the tension between India and Pakistan are in place across all districts,” an official of the home department said in Jaipur.

New Delhi and Islamabad reached an understanding on Saturday afternoon to halt military actions with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. DGMO-level talks between India and Pakistan are set to be held on Monday.