Rajasthan: Leaves cancelled, schools shut in five border districts; blackout enforced

NEW DELHI: The Rajasthan government has cancelled administrative and police personnel's leaves deployed near the International Border and closed schools in five districts amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor. With high alert sounded in the border districts of western Rajasthan, a blackout has been instituted in these areas from midnight to 4 am till further orders as a safeguard against possible threat of air strikes.

Government and private schools have been closed in Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts as a precautionary measure, officials said on Thursday. All Jodhpur colleges were also ordered to remain closed. Moreover, flight operations at Bikaner, Kishangarh in Ajmer, and Jodhpur airports have been suspended till May 10 as a precautionary measure.

The decisions were made after Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma took stock of the situation in the border areas as India struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre that killed 26 people. Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant and state police chief U R Sahoo chaired a review meeting with divisional commissioners, collectors and inspectors general of police and superintendents of police and directed them to be remain present at their headquarters, sources said.

Schools shut in Jaisalmer

Police have been directed to beef up security measures across the state in view of the developing security situation. In the border district of Jaisalmer, Collector Pratap Singh Nathawat said all schools will remain closed till further orders but teachers have to be present there on time and warned of strict action if the order is violated. Barmer and Jodhpur district collectors issued advisories, urging people to remain vigilant, and not to panic or spread rumours while cooperating with security agencies and the administrations in instituting critical safety measures.

District collectors and SPs have been instructed to implement disaster management protocols that include stocking up hospitals with life-saving medications with personnel on standby, maintaining an adequate supply of all blood groups at all blood banks and keeping certain schools ready to serve as temporary shelters.