At 9.36 am, an ambulance, a fire-fighting vehicle and 11 Civil Defence personnel arrived at Nagar Palika Balika Inter College at Ghaziabad’s Sihani Gate.
Nearly a hundred girls, dressed in green and white kurtas, with green ribbons in their hair, filed out of their classes and lined up, forming a U, on their playground.
As some jostled to stand in front, a teacher directed them to line up based on their height.
A siren then rang out. Immediately, nine men, dressed in yellow T-shirts lay on the ground, covering their faces with both hands. One of them took cover under a table placed on the playground.
Anil Aggarwal, a member of the Civil Defence team, announced from the podium: ‘Switch off the inverter and generator, turn off all the lights in your room when you hear the sirens.”
“The reason for this drill is not to instill fear but to prepare you to save yourself, your family and neighbours,” he added.
The exercise was one of 10 mock drills conducted by the Civil Defence personnel in Ghaziabad. Following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued directions to conduct nation-wide civil defence mock drills across 244 districts.
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Hours before the exercise, India launched a series of strikes — under Operation Sindoor — hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the early hours of Wednesday.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rajendra Sharma, divisional warden of the Townhall Civil Defence Team, said, “We were informed about the mock drill on Tuesday morning. Then we conducted a meeting with Ghaziabad’s District Magistrate (DM) and Additional DM. Our team members are visiting 10 schools in Ghaziabad to conduct the mock drill. We came to this school.”
He said the Civil Defence team was created in 1962 after the India-China war and there are five divisions — Ghaziabad Collectorate, Town hall Kotwali, Sahibabad and Rajendra Nagar.
At 10.02 am, the girls lined up again as the DM arrived. The mock drill was repeated.
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“These videos are available online. The purpose is to make you aware, so that your mind does not shut down in such situations.When you hear the siren, lie on the ground and shut down all electrical equipment,” said DM Shiv Meena.
“The reason you were asked to repeat the drill is because children learn quickly,” he added.
Meena then asked the girls to repeat the drill once again in class, and they headed back inside.
As the siren rang for the third time, they got under their desks, covering their faces and ears.
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Ghaziabad’s Chief Medical Officer Akhilesh Mohan explained that lying on the ground or crouching under a table in the event of a building collapse during a strike can minimise the impact of injuries.
Alshifa, a Class VI student, when asked if she knows what is happening in her school, said, “India has attacked Pakistan, that is why we are doing this.”
Shanaya Kumari, a student of class VII, sounded more aware. “If Pakistan strikes, this is how we have to save ourselves. The terrorists killed our people in Kashmir,” she said.
Their Social Studies teacher, Dr Hemlata Rajput, said they briefed students about the drill during the assembly. “They were all very excited,” she smiled.
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According to the principal, Dr Antima Chaudhary, these initiatives should be repeated in schools. “If students practice these measures, it will come in handy in case there is an earthquake or a fire.”
