New Delhi, Jan. 27: Balloon after balloon in the touchy week of Republic Day celebrations has had the Indian Air Force scrambling fighter jets to monitor and shoot down potential aerial threats.
Today, a day after the air force scrambled a Sukhoi 30 Mki fighter jet from Jodhpur that fired at a "balloon-like object" over Rajasthan's Barmer and brought it down, it was alerted by Gurgaon and Delhi police to a similar flying object over Aya Nagar, an area near Delhi airport that is also home to an air force station.
" Hum zameen ki suraksha kar sakte hain, aasman ki suraksha air force ke haath mein hai (we can secure land, securing the skies is the responsibility of the air force)," said a Delhi police officer.
Yesterday, the heightened alert during the visit of French President Francois Hollande was largely the reason for the air force to fire a cannon to prick a balloon. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar explained that the presence of an object "with a shiny surface" over Barmer was detected by personnel shortly after it had crossed the border from the west.
A statement from the air force today said of the Barmer incident: "Between 10.30-11.00am (yesterday), an unidentified balloon-shaped object was picked up on the IAF radar, which was unidentified and was in our airspace. An IAF fighter was launched, which intercepted the object and brought it down. We have launched further investigations into it."
A source in the IAF said its radar stations had spotted such objects, including balloons, belonging to a Web-based firm that maps the earth in the past too. But they usually let them pass away because they did not pose a threat, or the government later warned the company not to fly the objects over sensitive installations.
Yesterday, the resinous globe, filled with hot gas and held together by a wire mesh before being shot down, was flying eastwards and could have headed towards the National Capital Region.
The gaseous globe with a diameter of about 10 feet was spotted at the time of the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. It was about 8km above the surface of earth and was caught in fast-blowing winds headed east. Not wanting to take chances, the IAF shot it down with a 30mm cannon mounted on the Sukhoi.
The crack of cannon fire and the explosion of the balloon and pieces of shrapnel that fell on their fields left people of two villages in the border district confused.
On examination of the remnants later, IAF officials concluded that it was a balloon made by an US-based company. It was of the type that could be flown from anywhere, including ships on India's west coast, for meteorological purposes. There was nothing to suggest that the balloon was carrying a camera or explosives.
A senior defence ministry source said, however, there was suspicion that Pakistan was "testing" Indian defences, such as radars, and their ability to pick out flying objects. The ministry had sought the attention of the ministry of external affairs on the issue.
The IAF was put on alert this evening again after the other "balloon-like object" was spotted over Aya Nagar. PTI reported that an alert was sounded at Indira Gandhi International Airport after its call centre was informed about the big balloon.
Deputy commissioner of police (airport) D.K. Gupta said all security agencies had been informed, though police themselves had not spotted the object. "The airport was put on high alert after the call centre received a call about a big balloon. The call was received around 5pm and the caller said the big balloon was heading from the airport to Aya Nagar," Gupta told PTI.
A weather balloon is sent up by the Indian Meteorological Department every day from 39 locations across the country, including Aya Nagar in Delhi.
