It is very scary, says Delhi high court on city schools getting bomb threats

Justice Prathiba M Singh told the authorities that they should at least find out how these bomb threats to Delhi schools were being made

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday asked the city government, police and private schools to respond to a petition by a lawyer who sought directions to the authorities to draw up an action plan to deal with bomb threats.

Delhi Police's Bomb Detection Team arrives at the premises of Delhi Public School at Mathura Road after the school authorities received a bomb threat on April 26 (HT File Photo/Sanjeev Verma)

The petition by lawyer Arpit Bhargava comes days after a private school in south Delhi’s Saket area received a hoax bomb threat over email on May 17, the fourth such incident in the national capital in about five weeks.

“At least find out how these bomb threats are happening. It never used to happen in school, no... It is very scary, “ justice Prathiba M Singh observed as the high court took up the petition that underlined that the government did not have an action plan to deal with such incidents “which can cause havoc in anyone’s family and can have a large impact”.

Delhi Police’s Bomb Detection Team arrives after DPS, Mathura Road, received a bomb threat (HT File Photo)

Justice Singh asked the police to file a status report with respect to the action taken following bomb threats received by schools and sought an action plan from the city government.

Lawyer Beenashaw N Soni, appearing for the petitioner, said it was everyone’s collective failure if schools were “under repeated and constant threats”.

Bhargava’s petition said his son studies at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, where a bomb threat was received on April 26, which later turned out to be a hoax. The school received a second bomb threat on May 11.

In the petition, Bhargava said an action plan was needed to hold regular evacuation drills and other exercises to be undertaken for the safety and security of children studying in schools that are ill-equipped to deal with such disasters.

Lawyer Santosh Tripathi, appearing for the Delhi government, said the petitioner has rightly taken up the issue and sought the indulgence of the court. Tripathi also asked the high court to make all schools a party to the petition, following which the judge impleaded an umbrella association of more than 450 private unaided schools as respondents.

The petition also asked the city police to outline the steps taken to ensure that the recent bomb threats received over email are not repeated. It said the authorities should identify the miscreants and take strict action against such persons and fix accountability in a time-bound manner so that there is no disturbance by those who are attempting to hold the system to ransom.

The last incident of a bomb threat was reported from south Delhi’s Amrita Vidyalayam in Saket’s Pushp Vihar on May 17 following an early morning message to the school’s official e-mail ID.

Special Weapon and Tactics Team commandos at The Indian School after the school received a bomb threat via email, at Sadiq Nagar on April 12 (HT File Photo)

On April 12, The Indian School in south Delhi’s Sadiq Nagar received a fake threat over email, forcing the police to evacuate the complex and search the premises.

Just 10 days later, Delhi Public School (DPS), Mathura Road, received a phone call reporting a bomb threat, prompting a similar response. The caller was later identified as a student of the school.

Then, on May 11, DPS Mathura Road, received a second such threat, which was also found to be a hoax.