Nearly 100 schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region sent students home early after receiving a bomb threat via email this morning.

Schools across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) were shaken by bomb threats via email on Wednesday morning, leading to the swift evacuation of students and staff from over 100 institutions. Although thorough searches by the police yielded no explosives, the incident caused significant disruption and anxiety.

In a mail to parents, DPS said, “This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precautionary measure we are sending the students back home immediately.”

The situation took a political turn when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj pointed out a tweet by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tajinder Pal Bagga, suggesting a suspicious correlation between recent political rhetoric and the bomb threats.

Bagga”s tweet, posted at 12:50 am on May 1, cautioned against unattended objects potentially containing bombs, with a provocative remark about voting for the Congress party.

In the tweet, Bagga warned, “Do not touch unattended objects; they may contain bombs. Vote for Congress if you want to see such ads again on TV.”

Bhardwaj raised alarm over the timing of Bagga”s tweet and the subsequent bomb threats.

“What a coincidence, last night at 12:50 they were scaring us, today false rumours of bombs in major schools in Delhi were spread.”

The AAP minister called upon the authorities, including the Delhi Police and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, to investigate the matter promptly and thoroughly.

“Last night BJP spokespersons were repeatedly scaring people about serial bomb blasts, and today false rumours of bombs being present in schools across Delhi have been spread. This is a strange coincidence. @DelhiPolice @LtGovDelhi Please take cognizance,” Bhardwaj said.

He added, “Now this is the time of big test for Delhi Police. If the police catches these people in 1-2 days then it is fine, otherwise everyone will understand who is behind this.”

The targeted schools included Mother Mary School at Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School at Dwarka, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Delhi Public School at Vasant Kunj, and Amity School in Saket.

The Noida Police also confirmed the suspension of classes at DPS, Noida, and deployed additional personnel to ensure safety in the vicinity. Both the Delhi Police and Noida Police reassured parents that necessary measures have been taken and urged calm among residents, stressing that no actual bombs had been discovered thus far.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said the police have traced the origin of the bomb threat emails which appear to be a hoax.

“Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools. We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed,” Atishi said in a post on X.

Reports suggest a single IP address was used to send the hoax email to schools. The email address used for the mail had a Russian domain, however, it is not yet certain whether the email originated from there.

In February, a similar threat at Delhi Police School in RK Puram had turned out to be hoax.