Security drills in Punjab, J&K, Haryana, and Rajasthan rescheduled for May 31

Security agencies will conduct a security drill across districts bordering Pakistan on the evening of May 31, sources said. The exercise will take place in Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir, with the aim of enhancing preparedness and ensuring awareness in regions vulnerable to cross-border threats.

The decision to hold these drills follows a recent postponement. Security drills planned for Thursday in the border states and union territories - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir - were deferred due to administrative reasons. These exercises were initially scheduled as part of Operation Shield, following the four-day conflict that saw heavy attacks from across the border.

Sources said such drills will now be held every month in districts adjacent to the Pakistan border. During these exercises, residents will be advised to remain alert and follow all instructions issued by authorities.

The primary objectives of the security drills were testing the operationality of control rooms and air raid warning systems. It would have also assessed the effectiveness of civil defence services, such as warden services, firefighting, rescue operations, depot management, and the preparation of evacuation plans.

In Gujarat, security drills were to be held in all the districts, with registrations to



be done on the government portal to make people civil defence volunteers. The security drill would also focus on how to save people in the event of an air attack.

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

In the last security drill, air raid warning sirens were activated while civilians and students were briefed on civil defence protocols on how to protect themselves and others around them in case of an attack. These security drills -- the first of their kind since the 1971 war with Pakistan - were held in 250 locations across 33 states and union territories.

In the wake of repeated air attacks from Pakistan -- which were successfully thwarted -- 32 airports across northern and northwestern India were shut down as a precautionary measure.

During Operation Sindoor, Punjab -- which shares a 532-kilometre border with Pakistan -- put all its border districts on high alert, cancelling any public events while ordering the shutdown of schools in Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts.

Similarly, all government and private schools in the border areas of Rajasthan -- which shares 1,037 kilometres with Pakistan -- were shut down.