When Was the First Mock Drill Conducted in India? List of Mock Drills Till 7 May

The initial major civil defence practice exercises in India took place in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. These included blackouts, air raid warnings, and public alert announcements, alerting civilians for possible attacks.

Such exercises were also remembered in the 1962 war with China and the 1965 war with Pakistan, but those of 1971 are most extensively documented and remembered.

List of Major Mock Drills in India

1. 1962 (Sino-Indian War)

Blackout exercises and civil defence exercises along borders, although not as well-documented as subsequent drills.

2. 1965 (Indo-Pakistan War)

Siren warning systems and blackout exercises in urban areas along the war front.

3. 1971 (Indo-Pakistan War)

Large-scale civil defence simulated drills, including air raid sirens, enforced blackouts, and evacuation drills in numerous cities and towns.

The exercises were initiated a few days prior to the war and continued until the war reached its end in December 1971.

4. 1971–2025

There were no such nationwide civil defence mock drills after 1971, even during tense times such as the Kargil War (1999) or following the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

5. May 7, 2025

India is carrying out its first nation-wide civil defence mock drill since 1971, across 244–300 civil defence districts in all states and union territories.

The exercises target air raid warning sirens, blackouts, mass evacuations, and trials of civil defence, police, fire departments, NDRF, and volunteers' preparedness.

Major Civil Defence Mock Drills in India

No comprehensive public record exists listing every mock drill ever conducted in India, but the above highlights the major and most widely reported ones.

What Will Happened on May 7, 2025?

On May 7, 2025, India conducted a massive civil defence mock drill, the first of its kind since 1971, covering hundreds of districts and focusing on air raid preparedness, blackouts, evacuations, and coordination among multiple agencies.