Several major Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Surat, and Bengaluru, experienced brief blackouts and emergency simulations on Wednesday as part of large-scale civil defence mock drills ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The exercises followed India’s recent military strikes—dubbed Operation Sindoor—on terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
These mock drills, aimed at testing the nation’s preparedness for “new and complex threats,” involved simulated blackouts, air raid sirens, evacuation procedures, and public emergency response protocols. The exercises were conducted under heightened security circumstances amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
National Blackout Simulations
In the capital, Delhi, landmark locations such as Connaught Place, India Gate, Akshardham Temple, and the NDMC Office briefly went dark as part of the simulated wartime blackout. Popular commercial areas like Khan Market also participated in the drill.
Mumbai saw similar exercises conducted at Cross Maidan, with civil defence teams evaluating emergency protocols. Pune hosted a parallel drill at the Council Hall, reinforcing regional preparedness in Maharashtra.
Patna, the capital of Bihar, witnessed blackouts even at sensitive locations such as the Raj Bhavan and the chief minister’s residence. Gujarat’s Surat, too, was plunged into darkness during a wartime crash blackout exercise. Meanwhile, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh conducted drills in the Sirol area to test local emergency response capabilities.
Drills Across the Country
Further north, sirens were activated in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla to signal citizens to engage in blackout drills. In the south, Bengaluru carried out simulations at Halsuru Lake, while in the west, Jaipur’s MI Road saw officials preparing the city for potential threats.
The drills focused not just on immediate blackout protocols but also included crowd management, rapid response coordination, and public awareness. These measures, according to officials, are part of a broader national strategy to ensure civil readiness in the face of escalating security concerns.
Background: Operation Sindoor
The exercises came in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a pre-dawn military campaign by the Indian Armed Forces targeting nine terror camps, including Jaish-e-Mohammed’s base in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s facility in Muridke, Pakistan.
Speaking at a press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Indian intelligence agencies had been closely monitoring cross-border terrorist activity. He emphasized that the strikes were a direct response to credible threats of future attacks on Indian soil, particularly after the devastating Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists.
With border tensions rising and cross-border ceasefire violations reported for 13 consecutive nights, the civil defence drills signal India’s heightened focus on homeland security and public readiness.
Sources By Agencies