Hoax bomb threats to Delhi schools trigger anxiety among parents, students

Similarly, the principal of Birla Bal Bharti Niketan said, We followed the instructions and measures given by the police. President of the Delhi Parents Association Aparajita Gautam said such threats often arrive around exams or parent-teacher meetings, adding that they create fear among students, parents and school authorities.

Several schools in the national capital received hoax bomb threats on Thursday, prompting evacuations and security checks and leaving students as well as parents anxious. According to the police, at least five schools received threat emails, following which bomb disposal squads, dog squads and fire services were rushed to the campuses as a precautionary measure. No suspicious objects were found during the searches, they said. Schools said they acted swiftly in coordination with the authorities. Divya Bhatia, principal of Amity International School in Saket, said the campus was evacuated and standard safety protocols were strictly followed. Similarly, the principal of Birla Bal Bharti Niketan said, ''We followed the instructions and measures given by the police.'' President of the Delhi Parents Association Aparajita Gautam said such threats often arrive around exams or parent-teacher meetings, adding that they create fear among students, parents and school authorities. ''Based on our observations, most of these incidents are being reported from private schools,'' she said. She further said that in some cases, students themselves could be involved to delay exams or academic responsibilities and called for strict action against those responsible. A parent of a student at The Indian School in Sadiq Nagar said bomb threats to schools have been occurring for several years now. ''The first time I saw the message in the parents' group, I immediately rushed to the school. Even though it has become common, we will always worry as parents,'' he said, adding that while strong steps are taken against cybercrime, little visible action seems to deter such threats. Referring to the repeated false alarms, he said there is always a lingering fear of what if one day it turns out to be real. Another parent said the first threat had caused complete panic, with the police and fire officials already present by the time the families reached the school. ''Even after four or five such threats, no one has been caught. That is what worries us the most,'' she said, adding that the school has since started mock drills. A class 10 student of the same school said the first evacuation came as a shock. ''We thought it was a fire alarm at first, but when we came outside and saw the bomb squad, police and media, we were extremely scared,'' he said. He added that during a previous incident, he was in the middle of a practical exam when students were asked to leave the campus immediately. According to the police, all necessary safety measures were taken and students and staff were moved to secure areas in some schools. Further investigation is underway to trace the origin of the threat emails, the officials added.

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