Amid India-Pakistan tension, Punjab cancels leaves of all cops; Amritsar resumes blackout mock drills; check details

The Punjab Police has cancelled all leave for its personnel effective Wednesday due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The decision, cited as being for "administrative reasons," is understood to be a precautionary measure given Punjab's status as a border state. According to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav's order, leaves will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances starting May 7. This follows a video conference led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah with officials from border states, including Punjab DGP and chief secretary. A red alert has been sounded in Punjab amid the tense situation.

The Amritsar district administration has resumed blackout measures as part of a nationwide civil defense drill to ensure public safety and preparedness. "Taking utmost caution, the Amritsar district administration has again started the blackout process. Please stay at home, do not panic and do not gather outside your houses; keep the outside lights switched off," the Amritsar DPRO said in a statement.

The blackout in Amritsar was part of a nationwide civil defence mock drill ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to check emergency preparedness in case of future threats. The exercise involved scheduled blackouts at key locations across the country. Speaking about the prior blackout in Amritsar, ASI Jagtar Singh told ANI, "The blackout was between 10.30 pm and 11 pm, half an hour. The directions are that there should not be any lights on so that the enemy may not know there is a city here. The rehearsal is being done for the interest of the country... Some people are following the blackout, and some are not... The siren was activated and then there was a complete blackout within two minutes..."

Several states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and Bihar, also observed similar blackouts. Cities such as Barmer, Gwalior, Surat, Shimla, and Patna participated by switching off lights at key buildings and public spaces. In the national capital, Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vijay Chowk also went dark for the drill. Raj Bhavan in Patna participated too.Earlier in the day, civil defence mock drills were conducted in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Gwalior, and Jaipur. These drills were meant to assess how local authorities and citizens respond to emergencies.

(With inputs from ANI)