Townhall Times: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed all states to conduct a civil defense mock drill on May 7, with the stated objective of training ordinary citizens to protect themselves during emergency situations. It is reported that the drill will include:
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Instructions on what to do when an air raid siren goes off.
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Training for civilians, students, and others on how to stay safe in the event of an attack.
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A planned blackout, where electricity will be cut off if needed to prevent enemy targeting.
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Immediate measures to camouflage important factories and installations.
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An updated evacuation plan, along with rehearsals for the same.
Following the incident in Pahalgam, not only has a media war been unleashed against Pakistan, but the media is also actively creating a wartime mindset among the general public. The media has heavily communalized the coverage, and the government’s response to the Pahalgam incident is being used to hammer into people’s minds the image of Prime Minister Modi as a wise, fearless, and nationalist leader capable of giving a strong reply to the enemy — effectively implying that the nation is safe in Modi’s hands, and thus, people should vote for him in the upcoming elections.
Advocate Harsh Gautam commented:”While it is true that the army routinely conducts mock drills and joint military exercises with foreign forces — which is a standard practice — the timing and framing of this specific order seems to have only one intent: it appears to be a political drill to help the BJP win elections in Bihar and Bengal. Nothing more.”
“Why didn’t Modi conduct such a drill when our soldiers were killed during the Galwan Valley attack? Why wasn’t there this level of outrage after the Pulwama attack? The investigation into Pulwama hasn’t even been completed to this day.”
“Modi is trying to fully capitalize on the current situation. The central government is solely responsible for Jammu and Kashmir — then how did this attack even happen? Accountability must be established. But instead of giving answers, the government is distracting the public through media-induced Hindu-Muslim debates. Such acts will not cover up the government’s failures. This is the same pattern we see before every election — distract the public from real issues, create a communal narrative, and keep people entangled in it. These are extremely dangerous signs for any democracy.”
At this time, both Bengal and Bihar are in election mode. Across the country, there is widespread anger over inflation, unemployment, poverty, and the government’s policies regarding Waqf properties. The government’s popularity is plummeting fast. In such a scenario, this attack has become an opportunity that the BJP and its aligned media are exploiting extensively.
“If people genuinely need to be informed,” Gautam added, “that should be done through newspapers and proper media channels. But what we might see instead is people being forcibly dragged into these drills, power cuts imposed deliberately, and citizens made to run on streets under the pretext of evacuation — that would be deeply wrong.”
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