‘It felt like an emergency in Chandigarh’: Bomb threat emails trigger panic, evacuations at 26 schools
Normalcy gradually returns as schools remain closed for the day and parents take their children back home, shaken by the morning’s events
Chandigarh witnessed widespread panic on Wednesday morning after 26 schools across the city received bomb threat emails, prompting immediate evacuations and a large-scale security response.
The sudden alerts led to chaos outside school premises as students were sent back home and anxious parents rushed to collect their children.
According to the Chandigarh SSP, at least 26 schools, including St Kabir Public School, Vivek High School, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sacred Heart School and Chitkara School, along with several government schools, received threatening emails. An emergency siren was reportedly sounded in parts of the city as authorities moved swiftly to assess the situation.
The situation escalated around 9 am when teachers were seen asking students to leave school premises without providing any explanation. Police vehicles rushed to various locations, with some breaking traffic signals to reach schools quickly, leaving commuters confused on the roads.
“We were given no reason, only told to take our children home,” said Harish Thakur, a parent outside St Stephen’s School.
Another parent, Nimirdeep Brar, recalled a tense moment while dropping off her daughter. “A teacher came running and told me to go home immediately. He looked extremely worried. At first, I feared there was a tragedy inside the school. Only later did I learn it was a bomb threat.”
Eyewitnesses reported heightened police movement across the city. “I saw a police Scorpio vehicle break a red light near Sector 20 gurdwara around 9 am. It clearly felt like an emergency,” said Aradhana Bansal, another parent.
Police teams and bomb disposal units were deployed to conduct thorough searches of the school premises. Students and staff were evacuated as a precautionary measure, while security was tightened around the affected institutions. Large crowds of anxious parents and students outside school gates were seen as search operations continued.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh administration has issued advisory after hoax bomb threats and urged schools to stay calm, but not before thousands of students were affected. Officials said standard safety protocols were followed to ensure no risk to children or staff.
Police have launched an investigation to trace the source of the emails and identify those responsible. “Strict action will be taken against anyone found behind these threats,” an official said.
Normalcy gradually returned as schools remained closed for the day and parents took their children back home, shaken by the morning’s events.
Timeline of Chandigarh school bomb threats
Several schools in Chandigarh start receiving bomb threat emails from a Gmail account after 8 am
On Wednesday.
School authorities immediately inform the police about the threats.
Shortly after receiving the emails
Students and staff are evacuated from affected schools in Sectors 16, 19, 25, 45, and other areas.
Students on their way to school are sent back home.
Morning–Afternoon
Police, fire brigades, ambulances, and bomb disposal squads respond to the alerts.
Anti-sabotage checks and searches are conducted in schools using sniffer dogs and bomb disposal teams.
Initial checks completed in 10 schools reveal no suspicious items. Similar checks continue in the remaining schools.
During the day
Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur confirms calls from 26 schools regarding bomb threat emails.
The cyber team begins examining the Gmail account used to send the threats.
FIR registered at Sector 17 police station.
Official advisories
Authorities advise people to remain calm and report any threats immediately to police via 112 helpline.
Schools that did not receive threats remain open.
Schools are advised not to declare holidays without verification to prevent unnecessary panic.
Context
Similar hoax bomb threats have occurred in ^ school in Gurugram and recently in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, and Ambala.
Parents and citizens are requested to remain calm regarding bomb threat emails received by some schools in Chandigarh.
The Administration is alert, prepared for all contingencies, and committed to citizens’ welfare. Avoid rumours; trust official updates only.@chandigarh_admn…
— Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh (@dc_chd) January 28, 2026
