Produced by: Manoj Kumar
For the first time, air raid sirens blared through Indian towns—warning civilians of incoming attacks and triggering hurried runs to shelters during wartime alerts.
Lights went out across cities. Street lamps, homes, even train stations vanished into darkness to confuse enemy bombers scanning from above.
Ordinary citizens—school kids, shopkeepers, office workers—were taught how to duck, cover, and survive. Civil defence became part of daily life.
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Factories and power plants were painted over, covered, or disguised with fake rooftops—anything to throw off enemy scouts and keep vital systems running.
Classrooms turned into training zones where students practiced first aid, learned shelter protocols, and rehearsed evacuations in case sirens went off.
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India's cities became semi-militarized. Police, volunteers, and civil defence officers coordinated mass drills, air raid responses, and emergency aid stations.
Credit : Wikimedia Commons
While citizens prepared at home, India secretly trained Mukti Bahini forces and launched surgical cross-border raids to paralyze enemy assets.
Credit : Wikimedia Commons
Evacuation plans were drafted for vulnerable zones. People knew where to go, what to carry, and how to regroup in case the bombs fell.
Credit : Wikimedia Commons
The 1971 protocols set the blueprint for civilian defence in modern India—lessons from blackouts and sirens now echo in today’s renewed border tensions.
Credit : Wikimedia Commons