The Chandigarh administration sounded an air raid siren on Friday, urging residents to stay indoors, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated. The alert was lifted about an hour later.
"An air warning has been received from the air force station of a possible attack. Sirens are being sounded. All are advised to remain indoors and stay away from balconies," the administration said in an official statement.
Chandigarh serves as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana.
Authorities in neighbouring districts also took precautionary measures. The Panchkula district administration sounded a similar siren and advised people to remain indoors.
Meanwhile, officials in Punjab's Mohali district, which borders Chandigarh, issued an alert for nearby residents.
"There is an alert in some areas of Chandigarh. We are advising Mohali residents in the bordering sectors to remain indoors and away from windows and glass panes," the Mohali administration said in a message.
Further south, the Patiala district administration also urged caution.
"Please avoid stepping out unless it is absolutely necessary. All educational institutions in the district are closed until further notice. Residents are strongly advised to stay indoors and away from balconies, rooftops, and open areas," its advisory stated, asking the public to contact the control room in case of an emergency.
A similar air siren was sounded in Chandigarh on Thursday night as India swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, after foiling its attempts to target military installations in 15 cities in the northern and western parts of the country.
According to the defence ministry, the Pakistani military on Thursday night attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj.
The renewed attempts by the Pakistani forces came after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under 'Operation Sindoor' in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.