Amid looming war threat, Jammu and Kashmir schools train students on survival, evacuation

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday directed several states to start emergency preparedness drills and security mock drills on Wednesday (May 7) for “effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack” amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

However, security preparations and training are already underway in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Monday, a video posted on X showed teachers of a school conducting safety drills and training students to protect themselves during any hostile action from the neighbouring country.

In Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, teachers at Middle School Salotri are training students to protect themselves during cross-border shelling—part of safety drills amid frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Students learn to take cover under desks and evacuate to bunkers once the… pic.twitter.com/vw7OFzwqDh

In Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, teachers of a middle school in Salotri village near the Line of Control (LoC) are training students to protect themselves during cross-border shelling—part of safety drills amid frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
The students learn to take cover under desks and evacuate to bunkers once the firing subsides. With tensions persisting along the LoC, authorities stress the need for preparedness and safety in vulnerable border areas.

The drills are important as the present generation has never seen a war. The Kargil conflict was localised to J&K heights.

There is no sign of de-escalation along the border since the Pahalgam attack, as Pakistan has fired on Indian posts along the Line of Control for 11 consecutive nights. India has been strongly retaliating to Islamabad’s cross-border firings.

On Sunday, lights were switched off in the cantonment area of Punjab’s Ferozepur from 9 to 9:30 pm for a blackout rehearsal.

“This rehearsal aims to ensure preparedness and effectiveness in implementing blackout procedures during prevailing war threats,” the Cantonment Board officer said.

The timing of the MHA order on mock drills is crucial, as the last such drill was conducted in 1971, when India and Pakistan went to war on two fronts. 

During the drills, air raid warning sirens will be activated, and civilians and students will be trained in civil defence to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack. There would also be crash blackouts and camouflaging of vital plants and installations.

The drills are important as the present generation has never seen a war. The Kargil conflict was localised to J&K heights.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held several high-profile meetings with top government officials and military leaders since vowing to avenge the killing of 26 unarmed civilians in the worst-ever attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama incident. PM Modi met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Monday after having met Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh a day earlier.
The PM has already said that those involved in carrying out and plotting the terror attack will get a punishment they cannot imagine.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has also sent enough food, water, and health supplies to villages along the line of control to last for two months and closed all religious seminaries in the region in fear of Indian strikes.