Several courts in West Bengal faced bomb threats on Wednesday, following similar warnings received via email the previous day. The threats were directed at judges across various district courts. The Asansol District and Sessions Court, as well as the West Burdwan District Judge, were among the initial targets of these threats. The threatening emails contained messages indicating the presence of a bomb in the court premises set to explode imminently.
The situation escalated further when the Suri District Court in Birbhum district also received a threatening message directed at the district judge. This led to the evacuation of the courtroom where a hearing was scheduled. Despite the panic that ensued, subsequent searches by the police and bomb squad in both the Asansol and Suri district courts yielded no suspicious objects by 2 p.m.
The bomb scare was not limited to West Bengal alone, as the Dhanbad district court in the neighboring state of Jharkhand also received threatening emails claiming the presence of RDX within the court premises. As a precautionary measure, the court premises were evacuated, and authorities initiated searches with the assistance of bomb squads. These incidents followed a similar wave of bomb threats targeting seven courts in West Bengal, including the Calcutta High Court, causing alarm among judicial officials and legal practitioners.
The state administration responded promptly by convening a high-level meeting at the state secretariat to address the escalating threats. State Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty emphasized that ensuring security in the courts falls under the purview of the state government and urged the public not to succumb to rumors or panic. Additionally, the Cyber Crime Branch of the police has launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators behind these menacing emails.
