New Delhi: The much-anticipated nationwide civil defence exercise, codenamed ‘Operation Shield’, which was slated for Thursday, May 29, has been postponed indefinitely, as confirmed by several state and union territory governments. The Ministry of Home Affairs has cited “administrative reasons” for the deferral, though no specific timeline for rescheduling has been provided.
Originally planned across Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the exercise was intended to simulate coordinated emergency responses along India’s sensitive border zones. The postponement has sparked speculation amid heightened alert levels following India’s recent military operation in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“According to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Haryana Home Department announced the postponement of the comprehensive civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, which was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday,” read an official communication from Haryana on Wednesday evening.
Similarly, the Chandigarh administration echoed the directive. “As per the directions received from the Government of India, it is hereby informed that the civil defence exercise Operation Shield, which was planned for May 29, is hereby postponed due to administrative reasons. There will be no blackout or mock drill,” the UT administration said in a statement.
The decision follows just weeks after Operation Sindoor, a large-scale military offensive by Indian forces that struck nine terror camps across PoK on the night of May 6–7. That same day, civil defence drills had been quietly conducted across several regions, signaling a coordinated internal preparedness strategy.
