In fresh spree, 20 Delhi schools receive bomb threat; fifth incident in 9 days

As many as 20 schools in Delhi received bomb threat emails on Tuesday, the second such incident in a week. Security forces have been deployed to conduct checks at schools.

A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said a call regarding a bomb threat was received from Crescent Public School in Saraswati Vihar, northwest Delhi. Delhi Fire Service personnel, police, bomb detection teams and dog squads have been deployed to conduct searches at school premises. According to officials, the Delhi Public School in RK Puram also received threat emails on Tuesday, second in a week.

However, with GRAP-IV restrictions in place in the national capital due to severe air pollution, education institutions have switched to a hybrid mode of teaching. Under GRAP-IV, classes for students in grades 6-9 and 11 in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar must operate in hybrid mode (physical and online). However, students in classes 10 and 12 are required to attend school in person.

The fresh spree of threats comes after as many as eight schools received bomb threat emails on December 14. Students were sent back home on the day. The sender then threatened “bomb vests” had been planted on school premises.

Over 70 schools in the national capital received threats on December 9 and December 13 as well and a multi-agency probe was conducted at these premises. According to police, the December 9 threat was found to be hoax and the emails originated outside the country.

The Aam Aadmi Party slammed the Centre and Union home ministry for deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital. Recently, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal charged children and parents are living under constant fear in the national capital due to a series of threat messages.