Mock Drill to be held in 4 states bordering Pakistan tomorrow

A civil defense mock drill is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 29, across the Indian states adjoining Pakistan— Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir. The Directorate of Civil Defence has issued instructions for the same, reported Hindustan Times.

According to the HT report, Haryana government is poised to undertake a significant state-wide civil defence exercise, titled “Operation Shield,” scheduled for May 29. This comprehensive drill will be conducted across all 22 districts from 5 pm onwards, aiming to bolster the state’s emergency preparedness and response mechanisms.

This civil defense mock drill comes weeks after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan on the intervening night of May 6 and 7, to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack. in which 26 tourists were killed on April 22.

This development comes weeks after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducted Operation Abhyas -- a nationwide mock drill -- on May 7, hours before India launched Operation Sindoor.

On May 7, India conducted a nationwide civil defence mock drill under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs, designated as “Operation Abhyas,” aimed at bolstering the nation’s preparedness for war-like emergencies amid heightened tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

This large-scale exercise encompassed 244 designated civil defence districts across multiple states and union territories, including major metropolitan areas such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

The civil defense mock drill involved a series of coordinated activities designed to simulate real wartime conditions: activation of air raid sirens to test public alert systems; implementation of blackout procedures requiring citizens to switch off lights to mimic power outages and reduce visibility during potential aerial threats; evacuation rehearsals to ensure efficient civilian movement to safe zones; and widespread civilian training sessions on safety protocols, first aid, and emergency response. 

Key government installations, public sector units, and critical infrastructure sites were focal points for operational readiness assessments.