How CISF saved Uri Hydel Project from a Pakistani assault

More than six months after India and Pakistan locked into a direct military confrontation, accounts of courage from the frontlines continue to emerge.

One such episode unfolded on May 7— hours after India launched Operation Sindoor, a precision strike that destroyed nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan — when Pakistani forces retaliated by targeting the strategically critical Uri hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Uri installations—UHEP-I and UHEP-II—sit almost on the Line of Control, making them among the most vulnerable national assets in the region. That night, they also became Pakistan’s primary military target.

What followed was a high-risk defence operation that transformed 19 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel into an unbreakable barrier between civilian life, vital power infrastructure, and imminent disaster.

Drones, shelling, and a race against time

Shortly after midnight, Operation Sindoor concluded. At the Uri plant, CISF units were immediately put on alert. Power supply to external lighting was cut to reduce visibility and avoid offering the enemy a target.

By early morning, Pakistani forces unleashed heavy, indiscriminate shelling across the LoC—paired with a barrage of weaponised drones aimed at the project site and nearby residential areas.

But the CISF team held its ground.

Personnel led by Commandant Ravi Yadav jammed and shot down drones approaching the main gates of the Uri-II installation, while other devices were neutralised with support from partner security agencies.

“None of the hostile drones managed to inflict damage,” said ASI Gurjeet Singh, one of the award recipients. “Our first priority was neutralising aerial threats—our second was saving lives.”

Evacuating a town under fire

As artillery shells exploded dangerously close to housing blocks, schools, and administrative quarters, the CISF team launched a door-to-door evacuation, guiding nearly 250 civilians and NHPC staff into safety bunkers.

“The biggest challenge was waking families who were sleeping and unaware of what was unfolding,” ASI Singh recalled.

Despite continuous fire from across the LoC, the team completed the evacuation without a single injury or fatality—an outcome senior officials later described as “nothing short of extraordinary.”

A CISF statement noted that the personnel executed real-time threat assessment, reinforced defence structures, secured communications, and maintained operational continuity under extreme duress.

Their actions earned all 19 personnel the Director General’s Gallantry Disc—recognition reserved for rare displays of operational excellence.

Uri: A region scarred by conflict

The May 2025 assault marks the second major attack targeting Uri’s strategic infrastructure after the 2016 terror strike in which Jaish-e-Mohammed militants killed 19 Indian soldiers at an Army base nearby. That attack triggered India’s historic surgical strikes days later—altering the security posture across the LoC.

A stand that changed the outcome

What could have been a crippling blow to India’s energy security and a humanitarian disaster instead became a story of discipline, coordination, and steadfast resolve.

Nineteen personnel stood between a national asset and a hostile military offensive — and ensured India did not lose power, people, or ground.

Their message remains clear: Sometimes, the front line is not defined by numbers — but by nerve.