Operation Sindoor: 2 months after attack, Punjab man injured by Pakistani drone debris dies; wife had succumbed earlier

CHANDIGARH: A 65-year-old man from Punjab died on Tuesday, nearly two months after sustaining burn injuries caused by debris from an intercepted drone launched from Pakistan in retaliation to India's Operation Sindoor.

Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Khai Pheme Ke village in Ferozepur district, died late Tuesday night at a hospital in Ludhiana. His wife, Sukhwinder Kaur, had earlier succumbed to her injuries on May 13, marking the first civilian death outside Jammu and Kashmir linked to cross-border hostilities.

The couple were injured on the morning of May 9, when debris from a suspected Pakistani drone — intercepted and destroyed by Indian security forces — crashed into their home, triggering a fire. The blaze engulfed their parked car and the structure of the house, causing severe burns to Lakhwinder, Sukhwinder, and their son, Monu.

All three were initially treated at Ferozepur civil hospital before being transferred to a facility in Ludhiana. Monu was later discharged, but the couple remained in critical condition.

Security agencies had reported a surge in drone activity from across the border around that time, with intrusions recorded in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Bathinda and Amritsar districts. Authorities imposed temporary blackouts in some areas after explosions were heard.

The incidents occurred shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor, in which missile strikes were carried out on nine terror-linked targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was said to be in retaliation for the April 22, terror attack in Pahalgam.