Warnings of approaching enemy planes provide time for people to take shelter. The document lays out the steps to implement this. The task of detecting enemy plane movement lies with the Air Force. As soon as Air Force detects an incoming enemy plane, the information is passed on to regional civil defence control centers, which forward it to the town centres that start ground actions. As for the Air Force, it plots the information on a large map and plans defensive countermeasures.

There are four types of air raid warning messages: the first is 'Air Raid Message - Yellow'. This is a preliminary and confidential message and is a forecast of enemy plane movement. On receiving this message, civil defence services must prepare for unobstructed movement. This warning is kept confidential to minimise public alarm.

The second alert is 'Air Raid Message-Red'. This is a warning that enemy planes are heading towards certain towns and that they may be attacked within minutes. This message is received by those part of the civil defence response and is a call to action. Public warnings through sirens are likely to follow this alert. The third type is 'Air Raid Message - Green'. This means that raiding aircraft have left the towns or no longer appear to threaten them. A fourth type of alert 'Air Raid Message-White' is sent out when a preliminary threat warned in 'Air Raid Message-Yellow' passes. This type of alert is also confidential.

An inconsolable Sana on Monday handed over her two small children, aged three and one, to her Pakistani husband at the Attari border, in the latest incident of families being separated following the central government's decision to cancel the Short-Term Visas of the neighbouring country's citizens residing in India.

Married to a doctor from Karachi, Sana from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh was forced to part with her three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter due to visa regulations and central government directives in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed on April 22.

The family members who accompanied Sana said on Tuesday that she was inconsolable after sending her children, both Pakistani citizens, across the border.

The Chandigarh administration will conduct a 10-minute blackout drill on Wednesday and appealed to residents to turn off electricity on their premises during the exercise.

The blackout drill will be conducted from 7:30pm to 7:40pm on Wednesday, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav told reporters.

As part of the drill, air raid warning sirens will be activated at 7:30 pm and continue for 10 minutes.

"I appeal to all citizens to switch off the lights in their homes for 10 minutes. If possible, they should remain at home so that the preparation for a blackout can be conducted," Mr Yadav said.

The Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is fully prepared for the Civil Defence mock drills to be held on Wednesday, an official said.

On Tuesday afternoon, senior bureaucrats including officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Civil Defence, held a meeting and planned areas for mock drills to sensitise the local residents and tourists on how to act while maintaining precautions during an emergency, the official said. 

Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman, Arjun Sharma said, "The strategic location of Andaman and Nicobar Island is very important as far as India's maritime security is concerned. Also, it is located in the middle of the sea and therefore from time to time we have given importance and conducted several mock drills in the past too. We are fully prepared for the mock drills and finalisation of the civil defence exercise (Operation Abhyaas) has been done as per the advisory issued from the MHA." 

Rajasthan Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant reviewed the preparations for Wednesday's civil defence drill in the state with all divisional commissioners, district collectors, inspectors-general of police, district police chiefs and officers of the departments concerned.

At a meeting, held through video conference, necessary instructions were given to the officers of the departments concerned regarding compliance of the home ministry's guidelines for assessment of civil security strengthening and functionality.

Districts were told to adhere to the Centre's directions during the exercise. Officer were told to ensure that all the communication equipment and sirens be repaired immediately.

Blackout Action Plan is crucial component of civil defense preparedness. Staying calm & prepared during emergencies or hostile situations is key to ensuring national security. Regular drills & awareness of such plans can help citizens respond effectively in critical situations. pic.twitter.com/UBnxknCmzy

— NDMA India | राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन प्राधिकरण 🇮🇳 (@ndmaindia) May 6, 2025

As per the directive of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Civil Defence mock drills will be conducted in 14 districts of Kerala on May 7, official sources said.

State Chief Secretary A Jayathilak has instructed all District Collectors and other officials to ensure the proper execution of the mock drill.

He also stated that the public, institutions, and organisations should cooperate with the exercise, remain alert, and that there is no need for concern.

India's safety begins with You.
Stay Calm stay preparedness. #MockDrills #NewIndia #CivilDefenceMockDrill@HMOIndia@MIB_India@PIB_India@airnewsalerts@DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/LP9AaxcXMl

— NDMA India | राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन प्राधिकरण 🇮🇳 (@ndmaindia) May 6, 2025

According to the notification by the Union Home Ministry:

The civil defence security drills will be conducted at the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam in Chengalpattu district, and in the Chennai Port Trust, in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, at 4 pm, the state government informed on Tuesday.

"It has been decided to organise Civil Defence exercise and rehearsal in certain vital installations as instructed by the Union Home Ministry... The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Tamil Nadu has been activated and will function from the premises of the State Disaster Management Authority at Ezhilagam," an official release said.

Security drills will be conducted in four locations in Hyderabad on May 7 in accordance with the instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), a senior Telangana official said on Tuesday.

A full-scale drill involving police, fire services, and a disaster response force would be organised in four locations in the city on Wednesday, he told PTI.

The official further said to create awareness among the general public, sirens will be activated at 4 pm (Incoming Air Raid) in the city within Outer Ring Road (ORR) and there will be another activation of sirens at 4.30 pm to close the drill.

"Sirens will be activated at 4 pm and 4.30 pm within ORR and people are voluntarily expected to seek shelter and then take cover," the official said.

Authorities in Delhi will carry out security drills at 55 locations in the city at 4 pm on Wednesday as part of the nationwide civil defence exercise 'Operation Abhyaas' directed by the Centre, officials said.

The drill will simulate multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations, among others. Sirens will be sounded by police teams across the 15 police districts in the city as part of the exercise.

On Tuesday, the Delhi Police stepped up security measures and raised barricades at key spots, including Connaught Place and the areas near Parliament.

They procured Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD), capable of transmitting clear messages in a 500 metre to one kilometre radius, and officials have been briefed about their functioning.

"We have identified five sites in each of the 11 revenue districts -- a market, a big residential colony, a school, a government office and a hospital. We may not carry out a blackout drill since it will require coordination with the Northern Powergrid and it is not feasible," a senior Delhi government officer told PTI.

Delhi: LRAD vehicle equipped with Long-Range Acoustic Devices for public safety and law enforcement of Delhi Police was seen standing at Parliament Street police station pic.twitter.com/vXTUDKmPpC

— IANS (@ians_india) May 6, 2025

1. Maharishi Valmiki College of Education

2. Scope Minar

3. DM East Office

4. Kondli market

5. Sahyog Apartment

A blackout "is intended to enable the people to protect themselves and their towns from enemy aircraft at night, without incurring the discomfort of total darkness". As for public lighting, including street lamps, the light shall be reduced to a minimum. "No direct ray from a street lamp shall be emitted except at a downward slope. Light thrown on the ground shall not be greater than that from a 25 watt bulb at a distance of 20 ft. or an ordinary hurricane lantern at a distance of 6 ft," the document says.

No lights should be used in any building unless it is screened by opaque material. The instructions are: "(a) No ray, direct from the source of light, or reflected from a bright surface, is visible outside the roofed portion of the building: (b) No glare is thrown upwards outside the building or any part of it". No light for decoration or advertisement will be allowed outside any building.

Civil defence security drills will be conducted in 12 districts of Odisha on Wednesday as per instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), a senior officer said.

The drill will be held in Angul, Khurda, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Puri, Koraput, Sambalpur and Sundargarh, the officer said. The drills will continue for a week and will be taken to the village level. The fire service department will conduct the mock drill in some urban areas while the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) will conduct the drill in coastal areas on Wednesday, Sudhansu Sarangi, DG, Fire Services, said.

India has issued a NOTAM for an exercise near the Pakistan border.

Security drills will be conducted in Bengaluru, Karwar, and Raichur on May 7, given the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Director General of Police Prashant Kumar Thakur said the drills will continue for a week and are aimed at identifying and addressing gaps in preparedness and resources.

"Mock drills will be held at three locations in the state, including Bengaluru city, which is a metropolitan area with numerous defence establishments and is a very sensitive district for Karnataka," Thakur said.

"The second location is Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, home to the Kaiga nuclear power station. The third is Raichur, selected due to the thermal power station there," he added.

Nazakat Ali, a shawl trader from Kashmir, had accompanied some of his customers to Baisaran valley, also known as 'Mini Switzerland', on the fateful day when 26 innocents were killed there in cold blood. As the killers picked their targets, asked them their religion and shot them dead, this Kashmiri man risked his life to bring 11 people to safety.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Ali said he spends the winter in Chirimiri, a small town in Chhattisgarh, every year and sells shawls there. "Some people had come from there. There were 11 people from four families. We received them at Jammu on April 16 and took them around Srinagar and Gulmarg. We planned the Pahalgam leg on the last day because we had invited them home for a feast. We reached Pahalgam on April 21, spent the night in a hotel and the next morning, we reached Baisaran valley."

Mr Ali said his customers were having a fun time at Baisaran Valley when the terrorists struck. "I was playing with their child when we heard shots. Initially, everyone thought crackers were being used to scare off wild animals like bears. But when the firing continued, fear struck. I lay down with their child. The others followed," he said. "It was about humanity. I decided I have to save them and take them safely back. I picked up the child and led the others out of the valley. We ran for about 7 km before we finally reached Pahalgam," Mr Ali said.

#WATCH | Delhi | On mock drills to be held on May 7, former Puducherry LG and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi says, "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… pic.twitter.com/LjjWWrYBzX

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

One more person has been apprehended in Assam for "defending Pakistan on Indian soil" following the Pahalgam terror attack, taking the total of arrests to 43 so far, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

Mr Sarma, in a post on X, said the person was held in Barpeta district.

"#Update on crackdown against traitors for defending Pakistan on Indian soil... Total 43 anti-nationals have been put behind BARS for sympathising with Pakistan. No TRAITOR will be SPARED (sic)," he wrote.

On the Union Home Ministry's directive to conduct security drills across the country on Wednesday, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said: "Every kind of preparation is necessary for the nation to be prepared for any situation... I believe preparing everything is necessary for the safety of the nation."

#WATCH | Chandigarh | On mock drills to be held on May 7, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria says, "Every kind of preparation is necessary for the nation to be prepared for any situation...I believe preparing everything is necessary for the safety of the nation." pic.twitter.com/ImKFMoFa2Q

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

A full-scale drill involving civil and police administration, fire services and disaster response force would be organised in all districts in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, the state's Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said.

"We have received instructions from the Government of India about Civil Defence mock drills on May 7. Nineteen districts (in Uttar Pradesh) have been identified (for the drill)," Mr Kumar said, adding that these districts have been clubbed under different categories.

"Of these 19, one district has been placed under 'A' category, two in 'C' category, while the rest are clubbed under 'B' category. However, keeping in mind the local sensitivities, the instructions are to ensure that a joint drill across all districts involving all verticals, including civil and police administration, fire services and disaster response force, be carried out for an integrated response in an emergency situation," the DGP said.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, a former diplomat who has served at the United Nations, has pointed out the "sad reality" of Security Council consultations after its members met last night to discuss the India-Pakistan tensions and the Pahalgam terror attack.

Only member countries were present at the closed-door meeting, due to which it isn't exactly known what transpired at the talks. Reports, however, suggest the members of the UNSC posed tough questions to Pakistan.

Mr Tharoor, speaking out of his knowledge of how the UNSC functions, asserted that the Security Council won't pass any resolution against either India or Pakistan.

"I am quite confident that the Council will not pass a resolution criticising Pakistan because China will veto it, (and) they will not pass a resolution criticising us as many countries will object to it and probably veto it. It is going to be more of a call for peace and concern about terror in a general kind of language," the Congress leader told ANI.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday condemned Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's claim - that the government ignored intel about a possible terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, three days before 26 people were killed in Pahalgam - as an attempt to "lower the morale" the armed forces.

BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha told NDTV the Congress had no proof of such a claim, and the party's Jharkhand unit chief, Babulal Marandi, accused Mr Kharge of attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government "when the fight against terrorism and Pakistan is at a decisive stage".

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the family members of Navy officer Lt Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, and said the culprits behind the massacre should be punished in such a way that no one dares to raise an eye at India.

पहलगाम हमले में शहीद हुए लेफ्टिनेंट विनय नरवाल जी के शोकाकुल परिवार से मिलकर उनका दुख बांटा, उन्हें सांत्वना दी। अपार दुख में भी उनका हौसला और साहस देश के लिए एक संदेश है - हमें एकजुट रहना है।
पूरा देश शहीदों के परिवारों के साथ खड़ा है। सरकार को विपक्ष का पूरा समर्थन है -…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 6, 2025

A drill is an exercise that simulates an emergency, helping people and organisations practice their responses in a safe setting. These drills help people prepare to act quickly and effectively during real emergencies like fires, earthquakes, medical crises, or security threats.

In a mock drill, participants act out their roles as if a real emergency were occurring. This could involve evacuating a building, administering first aid, or following lockdown procedures.

#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | SDRF personnel hold exercise to prepare for tomorrow's mock drill at Dal lake
MHA has asked several states and UTs to conduct mock drills for effective civil defence, tomorrow, May 7. pic.twitter.com/FEUQYw8huG

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

#WATCH | Students in a Jammu school being trained to respond to any eventuality during a mock drill exercise
MHA has directed countrywide mock drills on May 7 pic.twitter.com/NxxxmOGetn

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

Preparations for conducting security drills in Delhi are underway, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said. 

Sood was asked about the city government's preparedness for the drills on the sidelines of an event.

"Preparations are going on. We will seek more information and preparations will be made in that regard," he told reporters.

Travel

India and Pakistan have shut their only open land border and closed their airspace to each other's airlines. They have also barred all ships bearing the other's flag from visiting their ports, and said that their own ships will no longer visit the other's ports.

Trade

Pakistan has paused bilateral agreements and suspended all trade with India, which has also banned the import of goods coming from or transiting via Pakistan.

Water

India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty which regulated sharing of water of the Indus river system between the countries.

Postal Service

India has suspended exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes.

Social Media

India has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including those of media outlets such as Dawn News as well as channels of sportspersons such as former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar. It has also blocked social media accounts of some popular Pakistani personalities, including actor Fawad Khan.

Sports

India's Olympic javelin medallist Neeraj Chopra has rescinded his invitation to Pakistani rival Arshad Nadeem to attend his meet in Bengaluru this month.

Farmers living along the nearly 200-km-long International Border in Jammu and Kashmir are racing against time to complete the harvest process amid heightened tension following the Pahalgam terror attack.

In the three districts of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua, about 1.25 lakh hectares of agricultural land falls within the shelling range of Pakistan. Families are working day and night to finish harvesting, dry the grain, and pack it for delivery to mills.

"We live in a danger zone. Every time shelling starts, we face death and destruction,"  a farmer from Treva, Rakesh Kumar, said.

Radhika Devi, who belongs to a farmers' family of village Suchetgarh, said her family had packed over 300 bags of wheat in just a few days. "It is an emergency. Mill owners are paying well and are quickly ferrying the bags to safer areas," she said.

Personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) conducted a mock drill at Dal Lake, Srinagar, focusing on a boat capsize scenario.

VIDEO | Civil Defence Exercise: SDRF conducts preparations in Srinagar’s Dal Lake following the directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs. All states and Union Territories have been instructed to conduct a mock drill on May 7 as part of a nationwide civil defence preparedness… pic.twitter.com/3mqbgdrmcb

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 6, 2025

Women who extensively participated in the India-Pakistan 1971 war while serving as Home Guards in Bhuj have expressed their desire to serve the country again if an opportunity arises.

Jyotiben Upadhyay, who served as a Home Guard, said that they used to visit the Bhuj streets in groups during blackouts and assured people that everything was normal.

Jyoti Kothari, who also served in the Home Guards in 1971, said that they were trained extensively on how to fire weapons. "It was tough for woman to even to step out of the house, and we felt proud while wearing home guard uniform...I urge women here to step up for the country as the situation has worsened," she said.

#WATCH | Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat | During the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, women serving as Home Guards played an essential role in defeating Pakistan.
Jyotiben Upadhyay, who served as a Home Guard during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War says, "I had joined the Home Guard services in 1971.… pic.twitter.com/vbUr5dNPTu

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

The United Nations Security Council has discussed rising tensions between India and Pakistan at closed-door consultations where envoys called for de-escalation and dialogue.

After the closed-door meeting, that lasted about an hour and a half, Pakistan claimed that its own objectives were "largely served".

Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that while Pakistan does not seek confrontation, "we are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Pakistan also raised the issue of India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. "Water is life, not a weapon. These rivers sustain over 240 million Pakistanis," he said.

Ahmad said at the meeting Pakistan reiterated its "commitment to peaceful, cooperative relations with all our neighbours, including India". "We remain open to dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereign equality," he added.

State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar, in a joint operation with the central agency, recovered a cache of terrorist hardware, shared Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police, Punjab. The operation was executed in the forested area near Tibba Nangal–Kular Road, SBS Nagar.

The items recovered include:

"Preliminary probe indicates a coordinated operation by Pakistan’s ISI and allied terror outfits to revive sleeper cells in Punjab. An FIR under relevant provisions of law has been registered at PS State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar. Punjab Police remains committed to safeguarding national security and dismantling terror infrastructure in the state," Mr Yadav said.

India and Pakistan's Directorate General Military Operations (DGMO) officers will a hold weekly scheduled hotline conversation today, the third since April 22 Pahalgam attack and second since ceasefire violations along the Line of control began. The conversation is held between Brigadier-rank officers at around 11 am.

The UN Security Council commenced closed-door consultations here on the situation between India and Pakistan, hours after Secretary General Antonio Guterres voiced concern over tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours being "at their highest in years".

Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation Security Council, had requested for "closed consultations" on the situation.