Bathinda, Punjab – May 7, 2025:
A sleepy village close to the Bathinda Air Force base was shaken by a sudden disaster in the early hours of Tuesday when an unknown aircraft came crashing down, claiming the life of a single civilian and injuring a minimum of nine others. The tragic event has created a storm of worry and rumor, with authorities rushing to ascertain the origin and nature of the plane.
The accident took place at about 6:40 AM near Bishanpura village, only a few kilometers away from the strategic Bathinda Air Force Station. Witnesses said that they heard a loud rumbling followed by an earsplitting blast as the plane dived swiftly and crashed on the ground, setting adjacent buildings on fire and scattered with debris.
Victims and Immediate Aftermath
Following early reports from regional officials and health workers, one civilian, 42-year-old Harbhajan Singh, was killed instantly by the effects of shrapnel wounds and burns. Nine others, two children and three women among them, were taken to the Bathinda Civil Hospital with different levels of injuries. At least two of the wounded are reported to be in critical condition.
The emergency and firefighters took between 20 minutes of arriving and worked more than two hours putting out the blaze and avoiding a fire reaching adjacent sections. The force of impact also ruined three houses, many motorbikes, and one grain silo storage unit.
The region has since been sealed off by security forces, and a combined investigation team comprising the Indian Air Force (IAF), Punjab Police, and forensic scientists is present on the scene.
Unidentified Aircraft Sparks Speculation
What has made the tragic event more mysterious is the nature of the aircraft. While “eyewitnesses said it looked like a ‘drone or a little fighter jet,'” officials have not yet confirmed if it was a military plane, drone, or an experimental platform.
A high-ranking IAF officer based at Bathinda Air Force Base, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We cannot establish the nature or origin of the aircraft at this point. It did not send any distress call, nor was it picked up on our normal radar systems prior to the crash.”
This has sparked speculation that the plane may have been an errant drone, a broken UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), or even an overseas spy asset, although there has been no official confirmation.
Security and Political Reactions
The accident has sparked grave doubts about airspace security, particularly since it occurred near a large military base. The Bathinda Air Force Station is a central facility in the defense complex of India’s western region, where it houses fighter aircraft and spy systems.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was saddened by the loss of lives and directed an immediate investigation into the incident. “We will leave no stone unturned in finding out what happened. The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” he stated.
Defense experts have highlighted the requirements for greater radar coverage and air space monitoring, especially over areas near foreign frontiers. No connection to alien aggression has yet been proved, but the failure to identify or clear the plane poses serious questions of national security.
Eyewitness Accounts
I was watching something black descending from the sky quickly. Initially, we thought it was a helicopter or a bird. Then it exploded close to the houses,” Gurmeet Kaur, who lives around 200 meters away from the scene of the accident, said. “The earth shook, and there was smoke everywhere.
Students who were traveling to school were evacuated as fire momentarily engulfed a nearby gurdwara. Due to quick action by the firefighting team, a greater disaster was averted.
Ongoing Investigation
The wreckage is currently being analyzed by Air Force technicians and forensic experts. A preliminary report is expected to be out in 48 hours, according to the Ministry of Defence, but the full analysis can take longer given the intricacy involved in the crash.
Meanwhile, villagers are in shock, and some families have been temporarily relocated. Questions about what precisely dropped from the sky, and why, still linger.