Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
As security preparations intensified ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chandigarh, authorities were put on high alert after a threatening email claimed that the Haryana Chief Minister's Office and Secretariat would be blown up. The email also mentioned schools and Jind, prompting police and security agencies to launch an immediate investigation. A cyber team has been assigned to trace the source of the threat.
A separate bomb scare also unfolded on Thursday night when Chandigarh Police's control room received a call claiming that explosives had been planted at the Prime Minister's rally venue. Following the alert, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur led a massive search operation involving the Operations Cell, Crime Branch, and local police. Security personnel thoroughly searched the venue and surrounding areas, but no suspicious object was found.
During the investigation, police traced the call to the Sector 24-25 area and detained Avinash, a resident of Sector 24. According to police, he admitted to making the false bomb threat.
Officials said the accused has no prior criminal record and was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the call. A case has been registered against him at Sector 3 Police Station, and he has been arrested. Police emphasized that although the threat turned out to be fake, no compromise would be made with the Prime Minister's security.
Meanwhile, heightened security around the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) caused significant inconvenience for patients on Friday. Many visitors who had completed consultations in the OPD were unable to collect prescribed medicines because barricades blocked access to the medicine market in Sector 11. Patients who had travelled from distant places expressed disappointment after returning home without their medicines.
Around 200 representatives from PGIMER, including administrative officials and delegates from various departments, are expected to attend the Prime Minister's program at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), where elaborate security arrangements have been put in place.
