PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
E- mails claiming to blow up the district and sessions courts in Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri with bombs created panic in the court premises of these cities of the State on Wednesday. However, the threats later turned out to be hoaxes. Pertinently similar threats were received in the past few days in Nainital, Uttarkashi and Tehri, which also turned out to be hoaxes.
After receiving the threats, police and security agencies immediately swung into action. The court complexes were evacuated as a precautionary measure and thorough security checks were carried out.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dehradun, Pramendra Dobal said that no suspicious object was found during the search operation at the Dehradun court premises and the threat was a hoax. He said that the police are trying to trace the IP address from where the e-mail was sent. The Special Task Force has also been involved in tracking the email address. Superintendent of police (SP City) Pramod Kumar said that security checks were conducted at all sensitive locations, but nothing suspicious was found. He confirmed that the threat was a hoax.
According to officials, the threatening e-mail was sent to district judges of Dehradun and Haridwar. The mail claimed that five bombs loaded with powerful explosives would be detonated in the courts on Wednesday. The threatening mail also contained references on stopping the economically weaker section (EWS) reservation in Tamil Nadu and also made mention of Brahmin domination in the society. The mail was reportedly sent in the name of Tamil Tigers of Eelam and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
One of the officials on the condition of anonymity said that some of these hoax e-mails could have been deliberately sent by security agencies to check the preparedness of the police and the search techniques of the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad (BDDS).
Bar Association of Dehradun President, Manmohan Kandwal expressed concern over security of the court premises. He said that courts are sensitive institutions and such threats create fear among the public. Kandwal demanded stronger and permanent security arrangements.
