Two DU colleges get bomb threats, search underway

Two Delhi University (DU) colleges received emails on Wednesday, warning them of bomb threats, triggering massive security checks, evacuations and panic among students before the alerts were declared a hoax.

Ramjas College in the northern part of the national Capital and Deshbandhu College in the south received threats, prompting immediate mobilisation of Delhi Police, bomb disposal team, dog squad and other agencies.

Police cordoned off both campuses, and anti-sabotage checks continued for several hours, a senior police officer said, adding that no suspicious object was found.

Officials said the threats were sent with the subject line: “3 RDX IEDs placed in Deshbandhu and Ramjas College to blast at 1:15 pm.”

In the email, the sender claimed, “With the collusion of Pak ISI cells who were provided safe haven in Coimbatore, this operation to blast two colleges in Delhi was planned for today. Please evacuate all students and staff by noon and be safe.”

“The principal of Ramjas College informed authorities that the threat mail was received at 1.59 am. Delhi Police and the Bomb Disposal Team reached the campus and initiated anti-sabotage checks. All buildings, rooms and open areas were thoroughly inspected,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia.

Another police officer said that Deshbandhu College also informed them about the email it received around the same time.

The DCP (North) said that soon after the colleges approached the police, students and staff members were immediately moved to safety as a precautionary measure. Entry to the campuses was also restricted.

Police said that multiple teams are tracking the IP address from which the email was sent. “We have formed multiple teams to trace the sender and arrest the accused,” the officer said.

The threat triggered anxiety among students. Sapna, a student of Deshbandhu College, said, “When I reached the college, the gates were already closed, and many students were standing outside. We got to know through the guards and people that there was some issue related to a bomb. We were asked to wait outside. Those who were trying to enter the college were stopped, and those inside were also sent out.” The mail disrupted the scheduled practical exams at the college.

Keshav, a second-year BSc Computer Science student at the college, said, “We had just reached college and saw a huge ruckus. Nobody was allowed inside, and the students who were already in were also sent out.

“We later found out that it was related to a bomb threat. Many of us had practical exams scheduled. This situation really disturbed everything,” he said.

Another student, Shivam Chandra, said that he was inside the campus when the searches began.

“We were inside the campus for our practical exams when we suddenly heard a lot of noise from outside. I was in the canteen during that time. After about 10 minutes, a group of guards came in, whistling and told us there had been a bomb threat and we must leave the campus,” Chandra said.