Bomb threat to Amritsar school a hoax, 3 students detained

A day after a hoax bomb threat to DAV Public School in Amritsar went viral on social media, the Punjab Police detained three Class 9 students, who had allegedly started the rumour, on Thursday.

Panic gripped students, parents and school authorities after two messages – one threatening a bomb blast and another firing on the school – were widely shared on WhatsApp on Wednesday evening. Both posts featured the Pakistan flag and the threats were written in both English and Urdu.

Soon after, security was beefed up at the school, and Punjab Police commandos were deployed on campus. Different Punjab Police teams also scanned the campus for explosives. However, later, the preliminary probe, revealed that three students of the school had started the rumour. Cops are questioning them to ascertain their motive.

In a tweet addressed to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla said it had been reported that the Punjab Police had “combed a famed school in Amritsar for contraband and other substances” and certain recoveries had also been made, but the authorities were trying to cover-up the entire effort under some pretext.

Saying that the principal of another famed school had also received serious threats that had panicked residents, he urged the CM instruct anti-sabotage teams to comb school premises and direct police and intelligence agencies to explain this lapse in security and safety.