As tensions rose between India and Pakistan, the Delhi government on Thursday cancelled leaves of all its employees, stating the necessity for preparedness in emergency response. A government order from the Services Department, as reported by PTI, said: “No leave will be granted to any official of Delhi government till further orders given the prevailing situation and preparedness for any emergency.”
Preventive steps were intensified in neighboring states as well. All schools within Haryana’s Gurugram were directed to close down, and students’ families were being directly messaged by institutions. Likewise, Punjab’s authorities had issued a three-day shutdown order for all learning institutions, schools, colleges, and universities.
India Gate is being completely evacuated and no one is allowed to stop or remain in the vicinity of the monument.
Take a look:
🚨 BREAKING NEWS
India Gate has been COMPLETELY EVACUATED.
NO one is allowed to STOP around India Gate. pic.twitter.com/gs8Kq3bNiX
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) May 8, 2025
District magistrates throughout Delhi held emergency meetings with their respective teams to evaluate readiness levels in health care and disaster management. Officials indicated that these measures were being taken “in case of any emergency situation.”
India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate
Tensions mounted to record highs on Thursday night following reports of suspected Pakistani drone intrusions into areas of Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. India’s air defence successfully repelled the aerial threats, prompting immediate precautionary steps like blackouts and air raid siren alerts in various cities. The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, was halted midway due to this.
The security crisis broke out a day after India conducted ‘Operation Sindoor’—a series of military operations targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These operations were conducted in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that took the lives of 26 civilians.
Reports state that Indian forces struck Pakistan’s air defense system early Thursday morning in retaliation against overnight drone and missile attacks supposedly carried out by Pakistan against Indian military installations.
The atmosphere is tense, with both civil and military leaders in India on heightened alert.
