NEW DELHI: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has released a detailed account of how its personnel thwarted an attempted strike by Pakistan on the Uri hydroelectric complex, located close to the Line of Control. The disclosure comes months after Operation Sindoor, during which India targeted terrorist hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
According to the CISF statement, the incident unfolded on the night of May 6, shortly after India executed precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the LoC. In response, Pakistan initiated heavy and indiscriminate shelling, endangering both the Uri power installations and the civilians living around them.
Commandant Ravi Yadav, who led the CISF contingent guarding the vital facility, said his team moved swiftly to protect the twin projects as well as the neighbouring town. Their immediate actions included neutralising incoming enemy drones, securing critical weapons stores by redistributing arms to safer locations, and launching a full-scale evacuation operation for residents — among them families of NHPC staff, women, and children — even as shells continued to fall.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurjeet Singh, recounting the tense hours, credited the unit’s preparation and coordination for the timely response. He said that barely an hour after India struck terror camps under Operation Sindoor, orders were relayed to the CISF to switch off all lights and remain on heightened alert.
Singh explained that the force had already rehearsed evacuation procedures in anticipation of retaliatory attacks from Pakistan. “Once the shelling started, we immediately began shifting families to bunkers. The toughest part was waking people who had no idea what was happening,” he told the Hindustan Times.
As the evacuation progressed, CISF troops simultaneously engaged Pakistani positions. Singh noted that planned evacuation routes and drills proved effective, ensuring not a single individual suffered even minor injuries while being moved to safety.
He further described how Pakistan deployed drones towards both civilian homes and the Uri-I and Uri-II hydel plants. “Our personnel jammed and shot down the hostile drones approaching the main gate of Uri-II. Larger UAVs spotted at higher altitudes were taken down by sister agencies. No drone managed to cause any damage to the projects or other essential assets,” he said.
In recognition of their bravery and rapid response, 19 CISF personnel who were on duty at the Uri Hydro Electric Power Projects that night were honoured with the Director General’s Disc.
