Fresh bomb threats targeting several schools and government offices across Chandigarh on Wednesday morning triggered widespread panic among students, parents, teachers, and office-goers. Police rushed to all affected locations, conducted thorough searches, and evacuated premises as a precautionary measure. By afternoon, authorities confirmed that the threats were hoaxes, continuing a pattern that has become disturbingly familiar to the city.
SSP Confirms Incidents, Searches Underway
Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur confirmed the incidents to The Tribune. “Yes, in some schools and government establishments,” she said, adding that searches were under way. Among the affected institutions, Strawberry Fields High School in Sector 26 issued a formal circular to parents signed by Principal Nisha Kaul, informing them that the school had received a bomb threat and that police and the Emergency Response Cell had been notified.
The circular stated that students would not be dispersed until official orders were received from competent authority and urged parents to refrain from rushing to the school to avoid compounding the panic. At all affected locations, evacuation protocols were followed as bomb disposal squads and sniffer dog units swept through premises. The searches drew anxious crowds of parents outside school gates, while classes and routine office work remained suspended for several hours through the morning.
Recurring Hoax Threats Plague Chandigarh
The fresh incidents are the latest in a series of hoax bomb threat emails and calls that have roiled Chandigarh’s schools and government establishments over the past several months. As recently as January 28 this year, threat emails were sent to Tender Heart School and three government schools in Sectors 16, 35, and 19, besides the Punjab Civil Secretariat the following day. Those cases were cracked last month with the arrest of Saurav Biswas (30), a Bangladeshi national illegally settled in West Bengal, who was found to have procured nearly 300 Gmail accounts, 219 of which were sold to a Bangladesh-based individual, to send such threats. He was also found to be linked to similar cases in Delhi.
The repeated pattern of hoax threats has inflicted a cumulative toll on city schools. Evacuation drills triggered by such calls have repeatedly disrupted examinations and classes, spread fear psychosis among students, many of them young children, and forced parents to abandon workplaces and rush to schools, only to find the threats had no basis. Teachers and administrative staff at affected schools have been compelled to manage evacuations and contain panic simultaneously, stretching institutional resources each time.
Investigation Underway
Investigation into Wednesday’s threats is under way. Police are working to trace the source of the calls and establish whether the incidents are linked to any previous cases or individuals. Authorities have not yet disclosed the total number of affected institutions or the specific government offices targeted.
