Chandigarh: Panic swept across Chandigarh on Wednesday after 30 schools — including 22 private and eight govt institutions — received identical bomb threat emails, triggering large-scale evacuations and heightened security measures across the city.The email warned of a blast scheduled for 1.11 pm, prompting immediate alarm among school authorities, parents and students. Several schools declared an early holiday as a precaution, while many others asked parents to pick up their children. This sudden rush led to traffic congestion on major city roads, particularly in Sector 26 and along Madhya Marg, where five affected schools are located. Pre-board examinations underway in some institutions were also cancelled.Authorities used WhatsApp groups and official communication channels to request parents to collect their wards. Some schools arranged for buses to drop students home safely.The Chandigarh Police announced that, beginning January 29, regular and enhanced deployment would be ensured in and around all schools to maintain security and prevent any untoward incident. An FIR under Sections 113(3), 351(4), 62 of the BNS and Section 66F of the IT Act was registered at Sector 17 police station against an unidentified accused.SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said the police control room first received alerts from four schools around 8 am. Bomb disposal squads, dog squads, quick response teams (QRT), fire tenders, ambulances, PCR units and staff from concerned police stations were immediately dispatched. As the day progressed, more schools reported receiving similar threats. All 30 schools were evacuated and thoroughly searched.No explosive or suspicious material was found at any location.The cyber crime unit has begun a technical investigation into the emails, examining the sender’s digital trail, including server details and origin.Police urged the public not to believe or circulate unverified information, and appealed to citizens to report suspicious activity to the emergency helpline 112 or the nearest police station.Past similar threatsIn May and August 2025, the Punjab and Haryana high court received bomb threats through emails. The Sector 3 police also registered a case against unknown persons, and later police traced the IP address to France and the email ID to the US. However, no arrest was made in the cases so far.In Dec 2025, another bomb threat to blow up the Chandigarh district court complex located in Sector 43 of Chandigarh created panic. The threat was sent to the court’s official email ID, which mentioned dropping a bomb on the court building via drone. Judicial officers, lawyers, employees, and common people present in the court were safely evacuated and taken to the parking area.
