India mock drill: Delhi lights up again, blackouts continue in other cities

As part of a nationwide mock drill exercise, a blackout took place in Patna at the CM's house and Raj Bhavan.

While the NDMC area of Delhi will experience a blackout from 8 pm today, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, PM residence and hospitals ICUs will be exempted.

Switchyards will be used to cut the power supply of the entire area, which includes Connaught Place and Lutyens. 

As part of the nationwide mock drill, Mumbai will experience a blackout from 8 pm in the following areas - Anushakti Nagar, Govandi and Atomic colony, Tarapur.

The NDMC area in Delhi will undergo a blackout from 8:00 pm to 8:15 pm on Wednesday, as per the DDMA. The area comprises of Connaught Place and Lutyens.

Blaring sirens marked the beginning of mock drills at six locations in Jharkhand on Wednesday.

The three-hour-long drills are being conducted in five districts — Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Godda, and Sahibganj — in coordination with civil defence organisations, official added.

Civil defence volunteers, police and fire services conducted a mock drill at the Collectorate building in Ernakulam, Kerala, during which they imparted several skills such as how to evacuate people, how to deal with injuries and more.

One person was shown as injured during the drill. He was given first aid and placed on a stretcher. With the help of the police, he was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

The drill aimed to check how quickly and safely rescue teams can respond during a war-like emergency.

In Ernakulam, Kerala, at the Collectorate building on Wednesday, a nation-wide mandated mock drill started with an alarm blaring and the lights were switched off.

The building became dark and windows were closed to create a real-life emergency setting. Then, a fire was simulated on the upper floors. Smoke spread, and the building was quickly filled with darkness.

Rescue operations (as practice) began immediately. Firefighters, police teams, and civil defence volunteers took part in the drill to safely evacuate all the people in the building.

The district collector also supervised and participated in the drill.

Sirens were sounded at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday as the nation goes through mock drills. Fire brigade teams were rushed to the spot along with a team of doctors and multiple ambulances.

A mock drill was also conducted in the RBI building with instructions being given to stay away from glass windows and find a safe place to hide covering heads with both hands.

In Bengaluru around 4 pm on Wednesday, mock drills were carried out as part of ‘Operation Abhyaas’ in line with directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to PTI, soon after the siren blew at 3.48 pm in various locations, the civil defence personnel, police, fire and emergency services personnel swung into action.

Drills included rescue operations in the event of fire, removing people from debris, evacuation of people from high rises and medical emergency services.

The drill was over in half-an-hour.

In Delhi, as part of a nation-wide exercise, mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations among others were carried out on Wednesday.

PCR vans and fire engines were stationed at multiple locations while there was a heavy deployment of security personnel and civil defence volunteers.

At Khan Market, alarm sirens were played and people were asked to run as part of the evacuation drill that was carried out.

In Chandni Chowk, a mock drill was carried out in the presence of civil defence volunteers, personnel and NCC cadets.

Civil defence drills were conducted across the national capital on Wednesday after the orders by the Home Ministry. Apart from several key locations, mock drills were also conducted in many schools across Delhi. See visuals from King’s Court, GK-2; Khan Market; DLF Capital Green’s, Moti Nagar; Sahyog Apartment, east Delhi.

A civil defence mock drill was carried out at Mumbai's Cross Maidan on Wednesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday had ordered a nationwide mock drill to be conducted today.

During the drill, which meant to review preparedness during the time of crisis, started with sirens going off and then civil defence staff tending to those in need. See video. 

Evacuation drills were conducted by four private schools in Kolkata on Wednesday to assess the preparedness among students in case of an exigency on the backdrop of the tensions between India and Pakistan.

The drills were conducted at DPS-Ruby Park, La Martiniere for Boys, La Martiniere for Girls and Future Foundation School.

A spokesperson for the two La Martiniere schools said the drills were conducted by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) wings based on instructions from the government.

"The entire exercise took place within 30 minutes, to make students well-versed about procedures required in case of an emergency. Students were very enthusiastic and eager to participate in the exercise," he said. (PTI)

Emergency mock drills are being conducted across the country to assess and strengthen disaster preparedness. As part of this nationwide initiative, Civil Defence teams conducted a comprehensive mock drill at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Railway Station in Mumbai. Visuals from CSMT show personnel in action simulating emergency scenarios such as bomb threats, coordinated evacuations, medical emergencies, and crowd control operations. (PTI)

A civil defence mock drill was carried out at a school in West Bengal's Siliguri on Wednesday after directions issued by the Union Home Ministry. 

Security personnel briefed students and teachers on how to be prepared for a crisis situation during the drill. 

The Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police conducted a mock drill at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) station after the orders by Home Ministry. 

The nationwide mock drill, codenamed ‘Operation Abhyaas,’ will be conducted at 244 locations across India to “assess preparedness for emerging and complex threats.” 

As part of the civil defence drills directed by the Home Ministry, alert sounded at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Security agencies, bomb squad and NDRF are present at the spot with full preparedness, says PTI.

During the mock drills, citizens are advised to prepare emergency kits at home with key items that will help during blackouts and in case of medical emergencies.

This includes first aid kits, torches, candles and cash. Citizens are advised to keep some cash at hand in case to navigate situations where mobile devices and digital transactions may fail.

The Centre has said that the mock drills are being held to improve civil defense preparedness for a possible India-Pakistan war scenario.

“Staying calm and prepared during emergencies or hostile situations is key to ensuring national security. Regular drills and awareness of such plans can help citizens respond effectively in critical situations,” the National Disaster Management Authority said in a post on X. Read more.

A civil defence mock drill was conducted at Noida's Botanical Garden metro station as part of an emergency preparedness initiative. The drill was a coordinated effort involving local police, Civil Defence personnel, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to simulate a real-time emergency scenario and test the readiness of response teams, reported PTI. See video.

Don'ts

-Do not use mobile phones during the drill to keep communication lines free for emergencies.

-Do not leave lights on or use any visible lighting during the blackout.

-Avoid entering restricted areas or locations under camouflage by authorities.

-Do not share photos, videos or sensitive details of the drill or local facilities on social media.

-Avoid panic or confusion—this is a drill to improve preparedness, not an actual emergency.

-Do not ignore the sirens or instructions issued by civil defence or DDMA teams.

DOs:

-Familiarise yourself with siren sounds:

Long wails indicate an air-raid alert.

Short bursts signal an all-clear.

-Locate the nearest shelter such as:

Basements

Underground car parks

Designated safe zones

-Keep an emergency kit ready, including:

Torch

Water bottles

Basic medicines

Emergency contacts

-Stop all outdoor activities immediately when the siren is sounded.

-Move quickly to the nearest shelter and remain there until all-clear is declared.

-Switch off all lights and use blackout measures like:

Thick curtains or blinds

Turning off or covering light-emitting devices (TVs, phones, tablets)

Simulate a blackout with your family to test preparedness.

Report any unfamiliar or suspicious activity to the authorities.

-Participate in community training sessions, especially:

First aid

Emergency responses for children

Safe space identification at home and school

Ensure the elderly and children are included in all steps of the drill.

-Prepare a go-bag with:

Snacks

Water

Medicines

Emergency contacts and IDs

Follow all instructions from trainers and authorities.

-Schools must:

Conduct training sessions for students and teachers

Play the demonstration video

Submit reports and photographs of the drill to district education offices

Bihar will conduct the civic defence mock drills on Wednesday, which include simulating air raid sirens, blackouts, and evacuation plans. 

Speaking with ANI, DGP of Bihar, Vinay Kumar, said that the state is prepared to conduct the mock drills and assured that all the preparations for it have been made.

"Bihar is all prepared for the mock drill. We also held a meeting with all our departments. All the arrangements have been made. Some districts have been kept on standby, too...We will also explain to the public what to do and what not to do... They are also being made aware of the procedure," he said. (ANI)

Teams across Delhi’s districts have been instructed to identify and prepare safe buildings and demilitarised zones for mock evacuations.

At least one hospital, government office, market and residential complex has been earmarked in each district, with the occupants being briefed hours before the exercise.

In parallel, the Delhi government has launched a large-scale safety training campaign in schools. Around 500–700 schools will participate, where DDMA and civil defence officials will teach students shelter protocols and emergency preparedness. These drills will occur earlier in the day, ahead of the main 4pm drill. Some of such drills have already taken place at several schools across the national capital.

According to internal planning documents, accessed by HT, a total of 660 schools — 550 private and 110 government — along with 40 market and civilian locations, have been selected for this special training. The Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) and DMs have been instructed to coordinate the sessions.

Former IPS officer and former LG of Puducherry Kiren Bedi on Tuesday said that mock drills called by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) across various cities in India are not a cause to "worry" about but a self-assurance that everyone is coming together.

Bedi added that people are now taking responsibility to protect themselves in different situation, adding that "preparation is prevention."

Speaking with ANI, Kiren Bedi said. "It's a cause for not to worry but it causes self-assurance and greater assurance because now we the people of India, the youth of India, the energetic of India, the healthy of India, men and women and the youth all coming together for each other. They're all coming for themselves and each other. They are taking responsibility for each other and themselves, and how to protect themselves in different situations. So, I think preparation is prevention." (ANI)

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

At Amity School in Saket, Principal Divya Bhatia said the exercise began at 8.45 am with a briefing during the morning assembly.

"We explained the purpose of the mock drill and the steps students needed to follow. After the briefing, we conducted the drill so they could understand the process in a hands-on manner," she said. (PTI)