Earlier Wednesday morning, a wave of fear spread through educational institutions after nearly ten schools were bombarded with threatening emails asserting that explosive devices had been planted on their campuses. School administrators jumped on the scene, halting classes and ordering parents to collect their kids right away.
Schools Under Threat
The threats mostly focused in Mohali, with multiple prestigious private institutions targeted. District Education Officer (DEO) Dr. Ginni Duggal said that schools hit with the emails include:
- YPS (Yadavindra Public School), Mohali
- Learning Paths School
- Manav Mangal Smart School
- Shivalik Public School
- Paragon Senior Secondary School
- Ryan International School
- Shemrock Senior Secondary School
- Mindtree School
- GD Goenka Public School
Though the threats named February 11 and February 13 as dates of concern, they’ve not found any suspicious objects so far, authorities said.
Emergency Response and Evacuation
School authorities activated emergency alarms and sent general safety measures once they received the emails around 8:00 AM. Buses left on their routes were turned back and parents were immediately dispatched with urgent messages to pick up their wards from specified stops.
“Our students deserve our best possible safety. Its decision was not done lightly, but out of an abundance of caution,” a message from one of the affected schools read.
The Mohali Police, along with DSP Harsimran Singh Bal and various anti-sabotage teams, cordoned off the targeted campuses. Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs were sent to sweep classrooms, playgrounds and administration blocks thoroughly.
A Pattern of Hoaxes?
This occurs just a day after similar threats were reported to schools in Delhi, and follows this same series of hoaxes that went after almost 30 schools in Chandigarh. Investigations into the previous threats demonstrated that much of the emails had been sent from servers outside India from the US and London to name a few.
Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal and senior police officers are staying tuned to the situation. The police, who believe these are high-tech hoax emails intended to cause disruption, have said that every threat is being treated with the utmost seriousness until the building is cleared.
