Ludhiana: Four schools in the city were evacuated on Wednesday after a bomb threat was received via email around 9:14 am. The email warned parents not to send their children to school on April 24, the day of a scheduled blackout drill, and threatened a bomb blast at 1:11 pm. It also mentioned explosions at railway tracks in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, and Ferozepur at 8:11 pm.
Evacuation and Response
School authorities contacted the local police and immediately sent students home using school buses and through parents. To prevent panic, they did not share the threat details with parents, informing them that schools would remain closed due to "unavoidable circumstances."
The schools that received the threat were Spring Dale Public School on Sherpur Road, DAV Public School in BRS Nagar, Manav Rachna International School, and Podar International School, police confirmed. Principals stated that the schools would reopen on Friday, but classes would be conducted online as a precaution. Students and teachers were informed about the online class schedule in the evening.
School Officials Speak
Avinash Kaur Walia, chairperson of Spring Dale Public School, said evacuation was initiated immediately after the email was received. J K Sidhu, principal of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, noted that this was the second time the school had received such a threat. He added that nine schools in the city had received similar emails in March this year. "The school followed all safety protocols and informed the police. After inspection, no suspicious material was found," he said.
Parental Concerns
Concerned over repeated incidents, parents demanded strict action against those responsible. One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "My son is in Class V. As soon as I learned about the threat, I was extremely scared and could only relax once he returned home safely on the school bus. The situation was distressing for our family, but later the school informed us about online classes for Thursday."
Another parent said the incident had caused anxiety among students, teachers, and parents. Referring to similar threats received in March 2026, he urged authorities to trace the IP addresses of those behind the emails and ensure such incidents did not recur.
Police Action
Police constituted multiple teams to search the premises of the affected schools. Police commissioner Swapan Sharma said they deployed five teams in the affected schools. Teams, including dog and bomb disposal squads, conducted thorough checks. A police officer said students were made to assemble in playgrounds during the checking. According to police, unscrupulous elements were trying to create panic by sending such emails.
