New Delhi: Panic swept across on the capital on the morning of September 20 as more than 100 schools received emails warning that bombs had been planted on their premises. The messages, containing the subject line, "Bombs placed in your building, react or face disaster," triggered mass evacuations and police deployments outside school gates.

The email, quoted in multiple news reports, stated "To the Administration and IT departments of all buildings, I am nothing but the definition of pure hatred. I am the child of evil, my existence makes gods fear me, my presence makes the mundane terrify. I am the untouchable one. My alias goes by 4zurf, aka owner of a terroristic group known by millions, aka Terrorizers 111. We have placed bombs around your building. You have 24 hours to disarm the bombs or you will face the blood pool."

Among the schools targeted were Delhi Public School, Dwarka, Krishna Model Public School, and Sarvodaya Vidyalaya and others. Several schools also reported receiving threatening phone calls.

School and government response

Affected schools carried out their emergency plans, school closures, immediate evacuation, and communication to parents. DPS Dwarka announced postponement of scheduled exams, due to "unavoidable circumstances".

The police were rushed to the scene to investigate the bomb threats. By evening, however, authorities confirmed that all the threats were hoaxes.

Thorough searches by bomb disposal squads and police teams uncovered no explosives or suspicious objects on school premises. Authorities are probing the source of the threats and whether they were part of a coordinated attempt to create panic, police said. The Delhi Police is investigating the source of these threats with the cybercrime team attempting to trace digital footprints. Officials from previous similar cases noted that the use of anonymising tools such as VPNs make identifying perpetrators difficult.

Stress and disruption

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has questioned the effectiveness of current security measures.

“Delhi's schools are repeatedly receiving bomb threats. Panic ensues everywhere, schools are shut down, and fear spreads among children and parents... but in a year, no one has been caught, nor has any action been taken. The four-engine BJP government can't even manage the capital's security. Parents are living in fear every day. When will all this end?” Kejriwal wrote on X.

With these incidents becoming more frequent, parents have been demanding permanent and long-lasting solutions from the government. Even though the threats have turned out to be hoaxes, it has done little to assuage their worry over their children at schools. Many parents expressed that the uncertainty of the situation creates worry and also disrupts their lives, along with their children's studies. Aprajita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents Association, told The Economic Times in August,  "The safety of our children is paramount. We urge authorities to take strict action and restore confidence in the system."

Counsellors working in schools also expressed concern to Times of India over the long-term affect of these threats on students. They said younger children, special needs children, and children with past trauma are likely to be the most affected. Moreover, these constant bomb threats weaken a child's sense of safety and create anxiety in the classroom.

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