The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the second round of civil defence mock drills, codenamed “Operation Shield,” will now be conducted on May 31. Originally scheduled for May 29, the drills were postponed due to unspecified administrative reasons.
The large-scale exercises will be held across all western states and union territories sharing a border with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Gujarat. These drills are designed to simulate coordinated civilian and security force responses to potential hostile scenarios, such as drone attacks and aerial strikes, as tensions with Pakistan remain high.
States like Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh, had confirmed the delay in the scheduled drills late Wednesday evening. While the Ministry did not elaborate on the reasons for postponement, officials have emphasized the importance of the exercises in light of recent threats and operational challenges.
The upcoming drills follow the first national civil defence exercise conducted on May 7, which exposed significant weaknesses in the preparedness of several border regions. That same day, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor—a retaliatory strike against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
Operation Sindoor marked the beginning of a four-day escalation along the LoC and International Border from May 7 to 10. During this period, India conducted targeted strikes on nine terror sites while Pakistani forces retaliated with heavy shelling and attempted cross-border drone and missile incursions.
In response to the vulnerabilities identified during the May 7 exercise, the government invoked emergency protocols and released additional funding through the State Disaster Response Force to improve civil defence readiness.
The upcoming mock drill on May 31 will test silent and general recalls of civil defence personnel, coordination between local authorities and central agencies, and public communication strategies during high-threat scenarios. Officials believe this second round of drills will serve as a crucial step in enhancing the nation’s emergency preparedness in border areas facing persistent cross-border threats.
