21 airports shut in northern India, schools closed in Rajasthan’s border districts after Operation Sindoor

NEW DELHI: Multiple airports across North and North-western India have been ordered shut until May 10 by the central government, while schools in border districts of Rajasthan have also declared holidays following the launch of Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces on Thursday."We received information that all flights need to be cancelled and the airport has to be shut. The whole airport is shut...until further orders," said Sirivennela, ADCP-2."As per the central government, 21 airports in the North and North-western India will remain shut till May 10. No flights will be operated from here," Sirivennela added. All government and private schools in the border districts of Rajasthan including Barmer, Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar and Jaisalmer have declared a holiday until further notification.Earlier, India conducted nationwide mock drills on Wednesday, following Ministry of Home Affairs directives, while simultaneously launching Operation Sindoor against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.The military operation marked India's deepest strikes inside Pakistan's undisputed territory since 1971, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and PoJK.The Ministry of Home Affairs had instructed all states and union territories to conduct mock drills to evaluate their readiness in dealing with "new and complex threats."Several states participated in scheduled blackouts at key locations as part of the civil defence exercise to test emergency preparedness against potential threats.The mock drills were implemented across major metropolitan areas, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Gwalior, and Jaipur, with a focus on assessing local response capabilities to security challenges.The military action was launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, lost their lives.This operation represents New Delhi's most significant military intervention within Pakistani territory in over five decades, demonstrating a marked escalation in India's response to cross-border terrorism.