Second Day of Bomb Threats in Delhi Schools and College Sparks Political Row

NEW DELHI:

Bombs threats were reported on Tuesday morning at St. Stephen College and a school in Dwarka areas and panic spread across the parts in Delhi. This is the second time on the trot that educational institutes in capital have received threat of bombs. Delhi Police and bomb disposal squads were put on immediate deployment and all facilities were evacuated and very quickly searched out. None of the locations had findable explosives and the threats were termed out to be hoaxes.

Officials said St. Stephen College received email at about 6.15 a.m. about a bomb in its campus. Very soon another school in Dwarka also was the target of a similar threat. The two institutions were also evacuated as a precautionary move and massive search exercises were conducted. No suspicious thing found. A major police officer, who was part of the operation declared the campus to be safe.

On Monday, three schools in the capital were similarly targeted with hoax bomb threats, causing chaos among students and parents. Though no devices were found, the incidents have raised serious concerns about the safety of children and the apparent vulnerability of educational spaces.

Reacting strongly to the back-to-back threats, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at both the Centre and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, referring to them as a “four-engine government”. Taking to social media platform X, Kejriwal posted: “What’s happening in Delhi? On Monday, two schools received bomb threats, and on Tuesday, another school and a college received threats. Children are scared, and parents are extremely worried. The BJP’s four-engine governments have completely failed.”

Kejriwal’s remarks have sparked a political back-and-forth, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the Centre and other BJP-run bodies of failing to ensure law and order in the national capital. The term “four-engine government” refers to the BJP’s control over the central government, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s office, the Delhi Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Meanwhile, security has been increased across Delhi schools and colleges, and police have started a technical investigation to trace the origin of the emails. “We are examining the IP addresses and digital footprint of the messages sent to the institutions. The investigation is ongoing,” a Delhi Police spokesperson said.

Though all threats have so far turned out to be false, authorities are not taking any chances, especially in view of past terror incidents and heightened public anxiety.

To be certain that all the security measures are being adhered to, the school officials are requesting parents to be composed yet alert. Further, the Education department has asked schools to be spotted in case of any suspicious occurrence and report immediately. 

Although the students are going back to classes with some sense of apprehension, the parents, teachers, and the city authorities are still awaiting information even as investigations are going on.