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Residents in Junagadh, Upleta, and nearby regions of Saurashtra in Gujarat were both excited and baffled by mysterious lights flickering in the night sky on Monday. These incidents’ videos have gone viral on social media.

What did the skies over Gujarat expose?

A huge boom was reported in Upleta town, Rajkot district, followed by burning items falling from the sky but flaring out before they could strike the ground.

“I was walking out of a shop in Kutubkhana when I heard a huge noise that sounded like an explosion. When I looked around, I noticed blazing objects falling down, but they were burning out in the air,” said Laxman Bhopala, 48, a farmer from Upleta’s Yadav Road. He was one among the people that recorded the incident on his phone.

GM Mahavadiya of Upleta mamlatdar said he, too, heard a boom that sounded like a “aero-plane flying” and was “followed by a huge explosion.” While Mahavadiya did not witness the burning things, he was told about them by others. He stated, “We have not received any complaints of anything odd falling to the ground anywhere.”

Where did this incident took place?

People in the Junagadh district’s Manavadar and Keshod also reported hearing the explosion, according to Mahavadiya. “I believe it is an Indian Air Force fighter plane, though we have yet to receive official confirmation from defense officials. After taking off from the Jamnagar airfield, jets frequently fly above Upleta,” Mahavadiya remarked.

The matter has been reported to higher authorities, according to GV Miyani, sub-divisional magistrate of Dhoraji, whose jurisdiction includes Upleta taluka. “While no damage has been reported, it has caused some excitement and worry among the public. So yet, no notification from defence sources has indicated that a training exercise or routine sortie is taking place. However, we have informed higher authorities about the situation,” added the SDM.

What researchers have to say about this?

The most plausible explanation, according to Nishant Gor, founder of the Bhuj-based Star Gazing India Club, is that the lights were flares deployed by a fighter aircraft on a sortie. “There are numerous options available. It could have been a meteor or debris from a satellite. However, after reviewing all of the videos from Monday night’s event and speaking with locals in Junagadh and Upleta, we’ve concluded that these are flares from a fighter aircraft. Second, residents in Upleta heard a sonic boom, which could indicate the presence of a fighter jet, according to Gor.

What does the reports from the defence sources say?

Fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force normally fly routine missions from the Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat. While the sonic boom heard on Monday night was likely triggered by an aircraft, defence sources say they can’t explain the lights shown in the recordings.

While the presence of fighter aircraft over Upleta and Junagadh is not new, officials say the lights seen flashing in the videos are not the lights that come from jet engines or flares deployed by aircraft.

According to sources, neither the Gujarat government nor the IAF have ordered an official investigation.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/gujarat-mysterious-lights-air-force-7370610/

Written By: Swati Sahoo

www.rtdjournal.com