OI 630.0 nm dayglow data from Mt. Abu, India, along with ground based ionosonde data, were scrutinized for the 6–12 January 1997 space weather related event. The OI 630.0 nm dayglow intensities registered an enhancement by a factor of 2–2.5 on 11 January, in the morning hours, as compared to 9 and 12 January, i.e. one day later than when auroral activities were noted at unusual latitudes and on the day when the magnetosphere was compressed to <6 R E. The ionosonde data did not show any such dramatic increase in the F-region electron densities for the same period. Various plausible mechanisms that could cause the observed enhancement in the dayglow without altering the F-region of the ionosphere are discussed in the context of the actual measurements.