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Hans India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Nationwide Mock Drills Resume in Four Border States Following Operation Sindoor
Civil defence mock drills will be conducted on Thursday across four Indian states bordering Pakistan—Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir—in a renewed effort to strengthen emergency preparedness. The drills come just weeks after India carried out Operation Sindoor, a targeted military response against Pakistan that concluded with a mutual agreement to halt hostilities. These drills are part of a larger nationwide exercise initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs after the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The ministry had earlier directed 244 districts to carry out civil defence exercises under Operation Abhyaas, involving blackout simulations, air raid sirens, evacuation protocols, and public awareness campaigns. Haryana to Conduct Statewide Exercise "Operation Shield" In parallel, the Haryana government will carry out Operation Shield, a massive civil defence exercise across all 22 districts starting at 5 PM on May 29. The initiative aims to test the state's emergency response mechanisms and improve coordination among civil administration, defence forces, and local communities. Sumita Misra, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), stated that the drill will involve mass participation from civil defence wardens, registered volunteers, and youth groups like the NCC, NSS, NYKS, and Bharat Scouts and Guides. A 15-minute controlled blackout will also take place at 8 PM in critical zones, excluding essential services like hospitals, police stations, and fire departments. Operation Sindoor and the End of 'Proxy War' The mock drills follow Operation Sindoor, during which Indian forces struck nine terrorist hideouts in under 22 minutes. The strikes, recorded on camera for verification, were hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as decisive proof of Pakistan's direct involvement in sponsoring terrorism. Speaking at a rally in Gandhinagar on May 27, PM Modi stated, 'This is no longer a proxy war. The terrorists were given state funerals, confirming this is part of an official military strategy.' He added, 'We don't seek enmity, but we will respond accordingly. We aim for peace and progress, but our bravery will not be underestimated.' Background and Broader Context Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained high following the Pahalgam attack and India's retaliatory strikes. The ongoing civil defence drills underscore the government's focus on preparing civilians and authorities alike for any future threats, ensuring that emergency responses are swift, coordinated, and effective.
Metro
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Metro
Convicting man accused of setting fire to Quran could 'reintroduce blasphemy'
Prohibition of blasphemy could soon come back if a man accused of burning a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London is convicted, campaigners say. Hamit Coskun, 50, allegedly shouted 'F*** Islam', 'Islam is a religion of terrorism' and 'Koran is burning' as he held the flaming Islamic text up in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, on February 13. Coskun is accused of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress'. Lawyers say this was motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam', in violation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986. Coskun is on trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Ahead of his trial, in a quote released through the Free Speech Union, he said: 'Encountering such treatment in a country like England, which I truly believed to be a place where freedom prevailed, was a real shock to me.' His legal fees are being paid for by the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society (NSS), who say they are defending them because they believe 'no one should be compelled to observe the blasphemy codes of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim.' Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS, warned: 'A successful prosecution in this case could represent the effective criminalisation of damaging a Koran in public, edging us dangerously close to a prohibition on blasphemy. 'The case also highlights the alarming use of public order laws to curtail our collective right to protest and free speech based on the subjective reactions of others. Establishing a right not to be offended threatens the very foundation of free expression.' The NSS claims Coskun is an asylum seeker who fled Turkey, having been a political prisoner for almost a decade, who 'thought he would be free to peacefully protest about a particular religion'. Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the organisation, added: 'The rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are sacrosanct and should not be disregarded because of fears about inflaming community tensions in a multicultural society.' A spokesperson for Humanists UK said that a successful prosecution would 'effectively resurrect the crime of blasphemy in England and Wales – 17 years after its abolition'. They added: 'This reintroduction of blasphemy by the back door would have profound consequences, not only for free expression in the UK but for the safety and well-being of hundreds of thousands of so-called 'apostates' in the UK and their right to freedom of thought and conscience.' In 2023, the decision to allow two men to stage a controversial protest outside a mosque in Sweden was widely condemned. More Trending Salwan Momika, who is thought to be an Iraqi living in Sweden, tore pages from a Quran, wiped his shoes on them and draped bacon across the book before setting it on fire. Swedish authorities granted permission for the protest to go ahead and Muslim-majority nations slammed the burning of the holy Islamic text. Muslims consider the Quran the sacred word of God and any intentional damage or show of disrespect towards it is considered extremely offensive. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the protest, which coincided with the beginning of one of the most important Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha, was 'legal but not appropriate'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Seven people still in hospital after car ploughed into Liverpool fans MORE: London's congestion charge set to rise – here's how much it could cost you MORE: Adidas is latest cyberattack victim with shoppers' data stolen
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Civil defence mock drill to be held on Thursday in western border States
The government has decided to carry out a civil defence exercise on Thursday (May 28, 2025) in all districts of States and Union Territories adjoining the western border— from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat— on how to face air raids from enemy aircraft, drones, missile attacks among others. In a communication, the Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards conveyed that the civil defence exercise "Operation Shield" will be carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh. On May 7, hours ahead of Operation Sindoor, the government had conducted the first civil defence exercise across the country. The civil defence authorities requested the States and UTs to plan and organise the exercise at 1700 hours onwards on Thursday by involving all local administration and stakeholders, sources said. During the second civil defence exercise, the "contingencies envisaged to be practised include general/silent recall of civil defence wardens/volunteers". "Stakeholders from local administration and youth volunteers like NCC, NSS, NYKS, Bharat Scouts & Guides, to man different services and assist the civil administration in the implementation of various civil defence measures like air raids from enemy aircraft, drones and missile attacks," the communication said. Responding to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalagam in which 26 people were killed, Operation Sindoor was carried out by India on May 7 through which the defence forces targeted terror camps at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Later, some Pakistani military bases were also targeted by India in retaliatory action during four days of skirmishes with the neighbouring country between May 7 and 10. Pakistani forces resorted to heavy shelling along the border and LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and also tried to attack some other places along the International Border in the western sector with drones and missiles. The Directorate, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said during the first civil defence exercise held on May 7, critical gaps in the civil defence preparedness of the vulnerable areas of the country were observed. Instructions to take necessary actions to suitably address the issues were issued on May 9. Accordingly, emergency powers were invoked and funding arrangements through the State Disaster Response Force were also made. In order to augment the civil defence preparedness against any hostile attack, the second exercise "Operation Shield" will be carried out in all the districts of States and UTs, adjoining the western border on May 29. During the exercise, there will be activation of centrally controlled and operated air raid sirens, and complete blackout measures adjoining civilian areas among others, sources said. According to the plan, during the mock drills, evacuation of the families of one of the military stations will be practised in case of drone attacks. The deployment of medical teams and the transportation of blood units among others will also be done.
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Civil defence mock drill to be conducted across Gujarat
ANI 28 May 2025, 21:01 GMT+10 Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], May 28 (ANI): As per the orders from the Government of India and under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a civil defence exercise will be conducted in Gujarat on Thursday at 5:00 PM. After the grand success of Operation Sindoor, a mock drill will be organised in every district of Gujarat as part of advance preparation to counter any possible attack from the enemy Operation Shield mock drill, Ravi, on Wednesday, virtually reviewed preparations made by the district administration. Along with this, she also gave necessary instructions to all the District Collectors for successful implementation of mock drill. Further, Jayanti Ravi said that during this exercise, various actions like ensuring the readiness of the local administration regarding civil security; taking the services of young volunteers like NCC, NSS, Bharat Scout and Guide; setting up a hotline between the Air Force and the Civil Security Control Room regarding enemy aircraft and missile attacks; activating the air raid siren; ensuring complete darkness and ensuring public safety and their property will be taken. Apart from this, necessary instructions have been given to the District Collectors to take necessary action regarding the medical team and blood donation for immediate treatment of the injured after a possible attack and to prepare necessary action plans regarding the immediate deployment of Home Guards of the Border Wing, Armed Wing personnel in a possible war situation. Along with this, the Collectors have also been informed about timely coordination by all the necessary departments and stakeholders during this exercise, she added. As per the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a civil defence exercise (Civil Defence Mock Drill) was conducted on May 7 to check and evaluate the security arrangements of the citizens living in sensitive areas of the country. Based on this, the civil defence arrangements have been strengthened in some sensitive areas of the Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
North Wales Chronicle
13 hours ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Burning of Koran ‘posed a threat to public order', prosecutors say
Hamit Coskun, 50, allegedly shouted 'f*** Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Koran is burning' as he held the flaming Islamic text aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, on February 13. Coskun denies a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam', contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986. He also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', contrary to section five of the Public Order Act 1986. At his trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Philip McGhee said: 'He was in a public place, there were other people around within sight and hearing of him. 'He had evidently chosen the time and location deliberately as he would later admit to in interview under caution.' He added: 'His actions gave rise to a very clear threat to public order and went beyond a legitimate expression of protest, crossing the line to pose a threat to public order.' Turkey-born Coskun, who is half Kurdish and half Armenian, travelled from his home in the Midlands on February 13 and set fire to the Koran at around 2pm, the court heard. Coskun had posted on social media that he was protesting against the 'Islamist government' of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who the defendant allegedly said 'has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a sharia regime', prosecutors said. Coskun, who is an atheist, believes that he protested peacefully and burning the Koran amounted to freedom of expression, the court heard. Ahead of his trial, in a quote released through the Free Speech Union, he said: 'Encountering such treatment in a country like England, which I truly believed to be a place where freedom prevailed, was a real shock to me.' His legal fees are being paid for by the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society (NSS). The Free Speech Union said it is defending him 'not because we're anti-Islam, but because we believe no one should be compelled to observe the blasphemy codes of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim'. It said Coskun is an asylum seeker who fled Turkey, having been a political prisoner for almost a decade, who 'thought he was coming to a democratic country where he would be free to peacefully protest about a particular religion'. Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the organisation, added: 'The rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression are sacrosanct and should not be disregarded because of fears about inflaming community tensions in a multicultural society.' Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS said: 'A successful prosecution in this case could represent the effective criminalisation of damaging a Koran in public, edging us dangerously close to a prohibition on blasphemy. 'The case also highlights the alarming use of public order laws to curtail our collective right to protest and free speech based on the subjective reactions of others. 'Establishing a right not to be offended threatens the very foundation of free expression.' A spokesperson for Humanists UK said that a successful prosecution would 'effectively resurrect the crime of blasphemy in England and Wales – 17 years after its abolition'. They added: 'This reintroduction of blasphemy by the back door would have profound consequences, not only for free expression in the UK but for the safety and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of so-called 'apostates' in the UK and their right to freedom of thought and conscience.' The trial, which is due to last one-day, continues.
