From evacuation to creating bunkers, what followed air raid siren during Bengaluru mock drill

Indian Express

07-05-2025

A couple of minutes before 4 pm on Wednesday, a shrill siren pierced the air for nearly a minute at the Home Guards and Civil Defence Academy near the Ulsoor lake in Bengaluru, signaling the start of Karnataka's Operation Abhyaas, a week-long mock drill.
As the siren was sounded, civil defence, fire and health department officials got on with their jobs on a war footing. Operation Abhyaas came following the orders of the Union home ministry in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Incidentally, the mock drill also came hours after India carried out retaliatory strikes on nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
During the mock drill, the Disaster Response Force showed how it would respond if there were civilian injuries, evacuating people, creating bunkers, and building temporary hospitals. At the same time, firefighters demonstrated rescue techniques using ropes, stretchers, and nets to evacuate people from multi-storey buildings, simulating bomb-hit structures.
Around 6.40 pm, a mock blackout drill was conducted turning off all lights to simulate steps to prevent enemy aircraft from detecting targets.
All the mock drills were restricted to the fire department's headquarters.
The mock drill is likely to be carried out for a week in various districts of Karnataka in coordination with the district administration and fire services.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, who was present during the event, praised the Operation Sindoor military action against terrorists.
A senior police officer said the mock drills were conducted for fire department and civil defence officials, keeping natural calamities and fires in mind, especially in the South.
Such a large-scale mock drill has been conducted in the country for the first time since 1971, he added.