Mock drill planned near western border suspended, new date awaited

A high-level civil defense drill planned across several border states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been called off just a day before its scheduled launch.

The comprehensive mock exercise, titled Operation Shield, was set to take place Thursday evening across Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir.

A fresh date has not been announced.

The Directorate General Fire Services, Civil Defence, and Home Guards, a central agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), had earlier written to the chief secretaries of the concerned states to inform them about the planned drill.

The exercise was to simulate responses to multiple threat scenarios, including air raids, drone attacks on military bases, and complete blackouts.

Punjab was the first to officially request a rescheduling. In a communication sent to the directorate earlier on May 28, the state said it could not participate due to an ongoing training program for key civil defense volunteers being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

“Our best volunteers are currently under training by the NDRF. They are the best volunteers who will further train other volunteers. It would have been futile to conduct the exercise without our main volunteers. Mock drills are important. We requested for the drill to be postponed, which has been agreed. We will have a detailed mock drill across Punjab on June 3,” said Sanjeev Kalra, special director general of police.

While the MHA has not commented on the postponement, its earlier letter dated May 27 noted that “critical gaps were observed” during a similar civil defense drill held on May 7.

The letter also stated that “emergency powers were invoked and funds were sent to the SDRF” following the exercise.

"According to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Haryana Home Department announced the postponement of the comprehensive civil defense exercise, Operation Shield, which was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday," the Haryana Home Department said.

Security concerns have intensified in the region since early May, when India successfully carried out Operation Sindoor.

In retaliation, Pakistan reportedly launched thousands of militarized drones between May 8 and 11, targeting both civilians and military sites. Indian air defense systems intercepted the drones.

The Central Bureau of Communication, Chandigarh, announced the postponement in a social media post, saying, "No blackout or mock drill will be held tomorrow. Inconvenience is regretted."