Mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios conducted across country

Mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios such as air raids, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations were carried out in several states and Union Territories (UTs) on Wednesday as part of the nationwide mega civil defence mock drill codenamed 'Operation Abhyaas'.

The mock drills took place a few hours after Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, a series of missile strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a strong response to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam carried out by Pakistan-backed terror group Lashkar-Taiba's affiliate The Resistance Front, killing 25 Indians and one Nepalese citizen.

In the national capital Delhi, PCR vans and fire engines were stationed at multiple locations while there was a heavy deployment of security personnel and civil defence volunteers.

Blaring sirens, residents rushing to safer places, injured people being carried away on stretchers — were some of the scenes that played out across the 55 locations in the national capital where mock security drills were carried out by authorities.

Delhi Fire Services cranes were used to reach high-rise buildings and evacuate people who were 'trapped'.

Sirens were sounded at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Fire brigade teams rushed to the spot along with a team of doctors and multiple ambulances.

Students and teachers across Delhi took part in the safety drill aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness that included practising orderly evacuations, taking shelter under desks, and switching off electrical appliances when the siren sounded.

The drill was conducted on the instructions of the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), which had asked all states and UTs to organise such exercises in light of the "new and complex threats" following the terror attack in Pahalgam.

Training of civilians in the event of hostile attacks, provision of crash blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital installations, verifying the response of civil defence services, evaluating the preparedness of evacuation plans and their execution were also noted to be examined during the drill.

Close to 300 'civil defence districts' across the country with sensitive installations like nuclear plants, military bases, refineries and hydroelectric dams were covered by mock drills on air-raid warning sirens, civilian training for a "hostile attack" and cleaning of bunkers and trenches.

In Punjab, mock drills simulating emergency scenarios like fire emergencies and rescue operations were performed in Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala and Mohali.

The mock drill was carried out at a mall in Mohali. Senior superintendent of police Deepak Pareek said people were asked to cooperate to create awareness about ways to deal with real-time emergencies. "Whatever the instructions issued by the district administration, Army or paramilitary forces, they should be followed," he said.

In Ludhiana, the mock drill focused on fire safety and rescue operations at Verka Milk Plant on Ferozepur Road to bolster preparedness for potential emergencies.

In Mumbai, mock drills were conducted at strategic locations, including the railway stations. A civil defence team from the Central Railway organised a mock drill at the city's famed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) — a target of the 26/11 terrorist attacks — to test the preparedness of security forces in case of an emergency.

As part of the exercise, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel also conducted separate and joint security drills. The GRP and RPF carried out a route march, patrolling and checks at various railway stations, Mumbai Police said.

CSMT is one of the country's busiest railway hubs and was the site of the deadly terrorist attacks of November 2008. Every day, lakhs of suburban commuters and outstation passengers travel through this station.

Security has been heightened at all railway stations and in several areas across the city, Mumbai Police personnel were seen on patrol, officials said.

Adding to the realism, a scenario was enacted in which a person was stranded on the fifth floor of a building as fire brigade personnel successfully demonstrated a high-rise rescue operation.

Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the National Cadet Corps (NCC) also joined the coordinated rescue efforts. Despite the rains turning the Maidan muddy, the teams carried on with the drill.

Speaking to the media after the exercise, civil defence director Prabhat Kumar said the drill was part of Operation Abhyaas. He highlighted the participation of various agencies, including civil defence, district administration, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, fire brigade, NDRF, Home Guards, NCC, National Service Scheme, and paramedics.

"The drill simulated an enemy air strike targeting a building. It demonstrated the coordinated rescue of civilians trapped due to the bombing, with the injured being transported to hospitals promptly," Kumar added.

In Bengaluru, authorities carried out a large-scale civil defence mock drill at various locations in the city. According to officials, soon after the siren blew at 3.48 pm in various locations, civil defence personnel, police, fire and emergency services personnel swung into action.

The drill included rescue operations in the event of fire, removing people from beneath debris, evacuation of people from high-rises and medical emergency services. The drill went on for about half-an-hour.

With PTI inputs