Two prominent colleges of Delhi University were thrust into chaos on Wednesday morning following bomb threats received via email, leading to immediate evacuations and large-scale security responses. The Delhi Police later confirmed that both threats were hoaxes, marking the latest in a series of similar scares that have rattled educational institutions in the national capital.
Early Morning Threats Trigger Evacuation
According to police officials, the threatening emails landed on the official email addresses of Ramjas College and Deshbandhu College around 2 am on Wednesday. The administration of Ramjas College discovered the message at approximately 8 am and promptly alerted the authorities.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia stated, "The principal of Ramjas College reported this morning that they received a bomb threat via email at 1.59 am. Our Bomb Disposal Squad and police teams are conducting a thorough search of the premises." A similar protocol was activated for Deshbandhu College.
Massive Security Response and Search Operation
In response to the alerts, a significant security apparatus was deployed to both campus locations. Multiple bomb disposal squads, fire tenders, and sniffer dog units were rushed to the scenes. As a precautionary measure, all students and staff members were evacuated from the buildings and moved to open, safer areas while the searches were conducted.
After exhaustive sweeps of the college buildings and grounds, the police declared the threats to be false alarms. No suspicious items or explosives were found at either location.
A Pattern of Hoax Threats in the Capital
This incident represents the third wave of bomb threats targeting institutions in Delhi since a bomb blast near the Red Fort on November 10. The police are investigating possible links between these hoax emails.
On November 20, several elite schools including The British School, Sanskriti School, Modern School on Barakhamba Road, and The Doon School received similar emails claiming that bombs had been "booby-trapped" on their premises. Those threats also proved to be hoaxes.
Just two days prior, on November 18, three major district courts—Saket, Rohini, and Patiala House—along with two schools run by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were targeted with emails sent in the name of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Those emails, too, were declared false by investigators.
This is not the first time Delhi University colleges have faced such disruptions. In May 2024, a similar spate of hoax bomb threats was sent to multiple DU colleges, including Lady Sri Ram College, Hansraj College, and Ramjas College, causing panic but yielding no dangerous findings.
The repeated hoax threats have raised serious concerns about security protocols and the psychological impact on students and staff. Authorities are actively working to trace the origin of these emails and identify the individuals or groups responsible for orchestrating these alarming, and illegal, disruptions.
