School Closed: Holidays cancelled in many states including Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan on high alert; Schools closed..

School Closed Due to Operation Sindoor: Given the increasing tension between India and Pakistan, many states have taken strict measures to increase security. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar have announced the closure of schools, imposing blackouts in border districts and cancelling leaves of police personnel and administrative officials.

These steps were taken when India carried out attacks on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam massacre on April 22, in which 26 people were killed. These states have increased vigilance to strengthen security and maintain peace.

Punjab (Punjab School Closed)
Punjab shares a border of 532 km with Pakistan, Rajasthan about 1,070 km and Gujarat about 506 km. West Bengal has a 2,217 km long border with Bangladesh.

Officials said on Thursday that the leaves of all policemen in Punjab have been canceled, while the state government has closed schools in six border districts.

The order issued by the DGP office said, "Leaves should be granted only under special circumstances with the approval of the competent authority."

Punjab minister Aman Arora said on Wednesday, "Punjab has a 532-km-long border with Pakistan. Therefore, the role of the Punjab government becomes extremely important during any military tension. All districts near the border have been put on high alert." In neighbouring Haryana, leaves of state police personnel and those working in the health department have been cancelled till further orders.

Haryana (Haryana School Closed)

According to a message sent to civil surgeons of all districts of Haryana, it has been mentioned that all officers have to remain present at their current places of deployment and not leave the district headquarters.

The Delhi government has also cancelled the leaves of all its employees till further orders due to the increasing hostilities.

An order issued by the government's services department late in the evening said that, given the current situation and preparedness for any emergency, no Delhi government official will be granted leave till further orders.

All district magistrates in the national capital are holding meetings with their subordinates to review health and disaster management preparedness in case of any emergency, officials said.

Himachal Pradesh (Himachal Pradesh School Closed)
In Himachal Pradesh, which shares a border with Punjab, security has been beefed up in border districts including Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur.

As famous temples like Baba Balak Nath, Maa Chintapurni and Maa Naina Devi are located in Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur districts, the police have increased security checks there, an official said.

Rajasthan (Rajasthan School Closed)
The Rajasthan government has also cancelled leaves of administrative and police personnel posted near the international border and closed schools in five border districts. A high alert has been declared in the border districts of western Rajasthan and a blackout has been imposed in these areas.

A blackout is being imposed in Barmer and Jaisalmer from 9 pm to 4 am to avoid possible air strikes as critical infrastructure is present there. A blackout will be imposed in Jodhpur from 12.30 am to 4 am. Flying of drones and bursting of crackers have been banned in Bikaner and Sriganganagar.

As a precautionary measure, government and private schools have been closed in Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, officials said on Thursday. The Ganganagar police issued a red alert and asked the general public to switch off their lights. All colleges in Jodhpur have also been ordered to remain closed. Besides, flight operations at Bikaner, Ajmer's Kishangarh and Jodhpur airports have been suspended till May 10 as a precautionary measure.

Instructions have been given to tighten security across the state.

Gujarat (Gujrat School Closed)

Security has been beefed up along the Gujarat coast and authorities have cancelled leaves of policemen "due to the unforeseen situation" and asked them to report to duty immediately.

Gujarat shares its border with Pakistan and also shares a maritime and land border with Pakistan.

Rajkot Range Inspector General Ashok Kumar Yadav said the coastal police have been put on "alert" mode following India's counter-terrorism strikes in Pakistan.

Yadav said five of the districts under Rajkot Range - Jamnagar, Morbi and Devbhoomi Dwarka - have a coastline.

He said policemen are visiting coastal villages and "boat landing points" and urging villagers and sarpanches to inform the police if they notice any suspicious activity.

West Bengal (West Bengal School Closed)
The West Bengal government has also cancelled leaves of all state government employees till further orders.

The notification issued by the state finance department on May 7, but circulated in the media on Thursday, cited "prevailing situation" as the reason behind the decision.

The order applies to all categories of state government employees, and even those who were earlier granted leave will now have to report back to duty. The notification clarified that only employees on medical leave will be exempted from the directive.

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