India clips wings of alleged Pakistani 'spy pigeon' to stop it flying back

Indian police clipped the wings of a ‘spy pigeon’ taken into custody earlier this month, citing an Indian Punjab police official an Indian media report said.

The ‘spy’ pigeon was found carrying what officials said was a warning note to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi near the heavily-militarised border as Pak-India tensions simmered following the Uri attack, subsequent ceasefire violations and an Indian ‘surgical strike’ ─ a claim Pakistan has rejected.

The note in Urdu reportedly read, “‘Modi, we’re not the same people from 1971. Now each and every child is ready to fight against India’, according to Pathankot police inspector Rakesh Kumar.

“The wings of the pigeon have been clipped to ensure the suspected spy does not fly back to Pakistan,” a senior Punjab police official told The Telegraph.

“We have sent a preliminary report to the Union home ministry, including an X-ray report of the bird which did not reveal anything suspicious,” the official said.

An inspector at the Bamial police station said the wings were clipped last week with the help of a veterinary worker. “We didn’t want to take a chance. We also bought a cage for its stay,” he said.

The bird was taken to an animal husbandry hospital in Pathankot and caged.

“We don’t know how long the pigeon will stay in the police station. Residents are flocking to the police station to see the intruder,” the Bamial police inspector said. He added that the police were not sure whether the bird had even come from across the border.

Another official remarked that the pigeon was female and not male as assumed earlier. “The only thing we know for sure is that it was a female pigeon,” the official said.