A wave of panic swept through high-security zones in Delhi and Chandigarh on Friday following bomb threat emails that led to the evacuation of two major government buildings — Udyog Bhawan in the national capital and the Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. Security agencies launched full-scale operations in both cities as bomb disposal squads, police, and paramilitary forces combed the premises for explosives.
In Delhi, the Ministry of Heavy Industries received an email around noon threatening to blow up Udyog Bhawan using an improvised explosive device (IED). The Delhi Fire Service confirmed a call regarding the threat was received at 1:01 PM. By 3:15 PM, the entire building — housing several key central departments — had been evacuated. Bomb detection teams, quick reaction units, and paramilitary forces were deployed, and a floor-by-floor sanitization process was initiated.
Simultaneously, a similar situation unfolded in Chandigarh, where the Haryana CID received a bomb threat targeting the nine-floor Haryana Civil Secretariat. CISF and Chandigarh Police immediately evacuated the building and launched an extensive search operation. “Security checks were also carried out near the residence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, which is located nearby,” said DSP Udaypal Singh.
In both cases, bomb disposal squads, dog squads, ambulances, and fire brigade teams responded swiftly. No explosive materials have been recovered so far, but officials are treating both threats with utmost seriousness.
Authorities noted that these incidents come just over a week after the Punjab and Haryana High Court received a similar hoax bomb threat on May 22, raising concerns of a possible coordinated pattern in attempts to disrupt government functioning.
Investigations are underway to trace the origin of the emails. Cyber experts are examining IP addresses and digital footprints to determine whether these threats are connected.