Ahmedabad Schools Targeted by Bomb Threat Hoaxes Ahead of Republic Day Celebrations
Panic swept through Ahmedabad on Friday morning as at least twenty educational institutions, including the prestigious Army Public School, received alarming emails threatening bomb blasts. The messages, which invoked Khalistan and arrived between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM, specifically warned schools against hoisting the Indian Tricolour on January 26th. The emails also labeled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as "enemies of Khalistan," adding a provocative political dimension to the threats.
City-Wide Security Response and Parental Anxiety
The threats triggered immediate chaos across school campuses throughout the city. Anxious parents, many of whom had already left for work, rushed back to schools upon receiving calls from authorities or seeing messages circulating on social media. Law enforcement agencies responded swiftly, deploying police teams, bomb detection and disposal squads (BDDS), specialized dog squads, and fire brigade units to conduct thorough searches of all affected premises.
After extensive security sweeps, Ahmedabad police confirmed that no suspicious objects or explosive devices were discovered. City Police Commissioner G.S. Malik stated, "The emails turned out to be hoaxes. The cybercrime branch will register an FIR and investigate the source of the mails." According to police reports, the threatening emails claimed a bomb blast would occur at 1:11 PM, prompting school administrations to immediately alert authorities and implement precautionary safety measures.
Academic Disruption and Safety Protocols
The timing of these threats proved particularly disruptive as several schools were conducting pre-board examinations and practical tests. In response to the security concerns:
- Multiple schools decided to close for the remainder of the day
- Other institutions curtailed examination schedules and allowed students to leave early
- School administrators worked closely with police to ensure orderly evacuations
- District education officials compiled comprehensive lists of affected schools
Ahmedabad City District Education Officer Rohit Chaudhary and Ahmedabad Rural DEO B.N. Prajapati emphasized that schools were advised to maintain calm and prevent panic among students. An official explained, "As soon as information about the threat was received, police and the collector were informed. Schools were instructed to take precautionary steps so that fear does not spread among students."
Recurring Pattern of Threat Emails in Gujarat
This incident marks the second such occurrence in Ahmedabad within little over a month, raising serious concerns about student safety and the vulnerability of educational institutions to cyber threats. Similar bomb threat emails targeted schools in December 2025, prompting large-scale security drills across the city.
Police authorities revealed that over the past year, educational institutions in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat have received bomb threat emails on two to three separate occasions, all of which subsequently proved to be hoaxes. This pattern highlights an emerging trend of using digital threats to disrupt normal civic life and create widespread anxiety.
Previous Incidents of Similar Threats
The Ahmedabad bomb threat hoaxes follow a concerning pattern of similar incidents targeting institutions across Gujarat:
- January 6, 2026: The Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad, along with the Ahmedabad city civil and sessions court and several district courts in Surat, Bharuch, Rajkot, and Anand received bomb threat emails. Extensive searches revealed no explosives, confirming the threats as hoaxes.
- December 17, 2025: Ten schools in Ahmedabad received bomb threat emails claiming explosions would occur later that day. Police, bomb disposal teams, and dog squads conducted thorough searches but found nothing suspicious.
- May 6, 2024: Twelve schools in Ahmedabad, including DPS Bopal, Asia School, and two Kendriya Vidyalayas, received bomb threat emails sent from a Russian server ahead of polling dates. Security checks confirmed no threats were present.
Community Response and Safety Concerns
School administrators and parents expressed deep concern about the recurring nature of these threats and their impact on children's education and psychological well-being. Pragya Pandya, Assistant Director of St. Kabir School, explained their response: "Keeping in mind the safety of children and staff, we evacuated the school. Parents came and collected their wards, and even the police squad that arrived at all 3 branches checked the premises and declared the schools safe."
Sabina Sawhney, Principal of DPS Bopal, described their protocol: "As soon as we got to know, we informed the police and started the process to ensure the safety of the children. The police squad did a thorough check and gave the school safety clearance."
Parents described harrowing experiences navigating traffic and anxiety to retrieve their children. Vishal Patel, a parent at Nirma School in Bodakdev, shared: "I dropped my daughter at the school at around 7:30 AM and at around 9:30 AM, I received the message about various schools receiving bomb threats. I went to my child's school to take her back home." Hetal Sheth, another parent from St. Kabir School, added: "About an hour after I dropped kids to school, I got a call informing me about the bomb threat. I rushed to the school and brought my kids home. I had to drive in heavy traffic and got delayed as all the parents had rushed to school."
The incident has reignited discussions about enhancing cybersecurity measures for educational institutions, improving communication protocols during emergencies, and developing more robust systems to quickly verify and respond to potential threats while minimizing disruption to academic activities.
