Chandigarh police conduct mock drill at Elante Mall ahead of Republic Day

The drill aimed to test coordination and response time among various counter teams of Chandigarh police and emergency services of the Chandigarh administration

In view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations and to assess preparedness under the prevailing security scenario, Chandigarh police operation cell conducted a mock security drill at Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Phase-I, on Sunday.

A thorough search of the entire mall complex was subsequently conducted. (HT Photo for representation)

The drill aimed to test coordination and response time among various counter teams of Chandigarh police and emergency services of the Chandigarh administration.

During the drill, the mall premises were cordoned off and evacuated by commandos of the operations cell. A joint search operation was carried out by HIT teams, the bomb detection squad, and the dog squad, during which a dummy bomb was successfully traced near the CBTL entry of the mall.

On receiving the alert, quick reaction teams (QRTs), PCR vehicles, ambulances from GMSH-16 and Police Hospital, Sector 26, Dial-112 teams, fire brigade vehicles, civil defence personnel, the mobile forensic team, and officials from the local police station of the Industrial Area rushed to the spot.

A thorough search of the entire mall complex was subsequently conducted; however, no other suspicious object was found. The dummy explosive was later safely transported in a sandbag-fitted vehicle to an open ground at Police Lines, Sector 26, under pilot and escort by PCR vehicles, where it was defused. Police officials said such drills are conducted regularly to ensure swift response, coordination, and public safety preparedness during major national events.