Bomb threat e-mails trigger evacuation at six Bengal courts; just hours after judges join SIR exercise
At least six courts, including City Civil and Sessions Court and Bankshall Court in central Kolkata, were cleared as a precaution after an e-mail warned of explosives being planted inside buildings
PTC Web Desk: Court proceedings at several district courts across West Bengal were disrupted on Tuesday afternoon after bomb threat e-mails prompted authorities to evacuate the premises and conduct extensive searches.
At least six courts, including the City Civil and Sessions Court and the Bankshall Court in central Kolkata, were cleared as a precaution after an e-mail warned of explosives being planted inside the buildings. Sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads were immediately deployed, but no suspicious objects were found during the searches.
Similar alerts were reported from courts in Chinsurah (Hooghly), Asansol and Durgapur (West Burdwan) and Berhampore (Murshidabad). Officials said the threatening messages appeared to follow a similar pattern and were received around the same time.
The scare came just hours after the Supreme Court observed earlier in the day that judicial officers from Odisha and Jharkhand could be brought in, if required, to assist with the disposal of nearly six million voter claims filed during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bengal. Around 250 acting and retired judicial officers from district courts in the state are currently involved in the process.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal stressed that adequate security arrangements must be ensured for the judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise.
Investigations into the source of the threatening e-mails are ongoing.