The Army said on Tuesday that no air defence guns or any other air defence resources were deployed within the Golden Temple premises during Operation Sindoor. The assertion came in the wake of reports that the Golden Temple management had allowed the Army to deploy the air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan.

“Some media reports are circulating with respect to deployment of AD (air defence) guns in the Golden Temple. It is clarified that no AD guns or any other AD resource was deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar (Golden Temple),” an Army statement said.

Earlier, dismissing the reports, the additional head priest of the shrine and the apex religious body of Sikhs, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), had said no permission was given to the Indian Army to deploy any air defence guns.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also said that while the administration contacted them only about switching off the lights during the blackout after the recent escalation of tension between India and Pakistan, they fully cooperated in the interest of administrative responsibility while maintaining the sanctity of the ongoing ‘maryada’ (conduct).

Mr Dhami said there was no contact from any Army official regarding the installation of air defence guns at Sri Harmandar Sahib.

Harmandar Sahib’s Head Granthi, Giani Raghbir Singh, also clarified that although he was on a foreign visit during the Operation Sindoor, there was no communication with him regarding any gun deployment, nor did any such incident occur at the Golden Temple.

Additional head priest of the Golden Temple Giani Amarjeet Singh said it is not true that the Army was allowed to deploy air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan. Mr Singh said this claim was shockingly untrue and outright rejected it.

No permission for installing guns was ever given, he asserted.

He clarified that the management of Harmandar Sahib had cooperated with the district administration’s guidelines regarding the city-wide blackout by switching off exterior and upper lights of the complex within the specified time frame.

However, lights at locations where religious code of conduct is observed were kept on, and the sanctity the religious place was maintained with full responsibility, he said.

Mr Singh reiterated that the daily religious practices at Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), the Langar of Guru Ramdas Ji, places of Sri Akhand Path Sahib, and other related gurdwaras were conducted according to strict protocols, and no one has the right to interfere with them.

Despite the tense situation in recent days, the full religious code of conduct continued at Harmandar Sahib with dedication and discipline, he said.

Mr Singh also made it clear that no lights were turned off at any religious site where ‘maryada’ was being observed, even during the blackout.

SGPC chief Dhami said that based on consultation with Mr Singh, only the outer lights were turned off following the district administration’s guidelines.

He pointed out that even during the blackout, large numbers of devotees continued to visit and do ‘sewa’ (voluntary service) and had there been any such event like gun deployment, the Sangat (congregation) would certainly have noticed and seen it.

Mr Dhami acknowledged the commendable role played by the Army and the country during the tense circumstances, and emphasised that “spreading such falsehoods about the central religious place of Sikhs days after the events is shockingly untrue”.

He also demanded clarification from the government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The collector’s office in Maharashtra’s Palghar received a bomb threat email in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the police to evacuate the premises, officials said.

The threat turned out to be a hoax, a senior police officer said late at night.

An email was sent to the official ID of the collectorate around 6.23 am, stating that RDX was planted on the premises and it would explode at 3.30 pm, they said.

District Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil, along with his senior officials, rushed to the spot and launched a search.

Teams with hand-held metal detectors were stationed at the collectorate, and as a precautionary measure, a QRT squad was requisitioned, Patil told reporters.

Chief of Disaster Management Cell Vivekanand Kadam said the premises was evacuated at 11 am, and a search is underway.

Mr Patil said the threat message turned out to be fake as no suspicious object was found.

He said Palghar Police was taking the help of the Maharashtra cyber cell to detect the origin of the mail, and further steps are awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday morning took oath as a minister in the Mahayuti-led Maharashtra government at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

The oath-taking ceremony was held in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Governor CP Radhakrishnan, who administered Bhujbal’s oath.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the chief of NCP, were also present at the occasion, along with other prominent ministers in the Mahayuti government.

Mr Shinde said that Mr Bhujbal had served as a minister earlier, and his experience would benefit the Maharashtra government. He said that Chief Minsiter Fadnavis would decide on the portfolio for the veteran leader. The Deputy Chief Minister further informed that Bhujbal started his political career with the Shiv Sena and was a Shiv Sainik of Bal Thackeray.

“Chhagan Bhujbal has served as a minister before as well. He has led many departments. He is an experienced minister. He is also a Shiv Sainik of Balasaheb Thackeray. He started from the Shiv Sena. He started from corporator, mayor and went on to become an MLA and a minister. He has held many positions. Today, he has taken the oath again. I want to congratulate him. His experience will benefit the government. The portfolio will be decided by the Chief Minister,” Mr Shinde told ANI.

Earlier, Maharashtra Minister and State BJP Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule welcomed the inclusion of Bhujbal in the State cabinet.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Bawankule said, “Chhagan Bhujbal is known as an OBC leader, and including NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in the cabinet will strengthen the Maharashtra government. Chhagan Bhujbal will play a major role in fulfilling the resolve of ‘Viksit Maharashtra’,”

In the past, Mr Bhujbal, the MLA from Yeola in the Nashik district, held key positions as a cabinet minister and served as the deputy chief minister in different Maharashtra governments. He served as the fifth Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1999 to 2003.

Mr Bhujbal started his political career with the Shiv Sena in the 1960s, when the regional movement advocating for the rights of Marathi speakers was at its peak.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)