Security agencies were placed on high alert in Jalandhar on Wednesday after a bomb threat email was received just hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the city for the concluding rally of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab’ campaign.
According to the information provided, several private schools in Jalandhar received the threatening email at around 7:07 am. The message claimed that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) would be used at several locations in the city.
The email mentioned specific times for the alleged explosions. It claimed that blasts would take place at schools at 11:11 am, Shri Devi Talab Temple at 12:11 pm, the court complex at 2:11 pm and an office at 3:11 pm.
The sender claimed responsibility in the name of ‘Khalistan Army’. The email also claimed that explosives had been planted beneath the stage at Amit Shah’s rally and in buses carrying people to the rally venue. These claims had not been independently verified in the information provided.
The threat has prompted police and investigative agencies to intensify security arrangements across Jalandhar. The development comes amid heightened security for Shah’s visit. The Home Minister is scheduled to address the concluding programme of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ in the city. The campaign has covered all 117 Assembly constituencies and around 4,000 km across Punjab.
The bomb threat is the latest security-related development ahead of the visit. A day earlier, slogans referring to the Khalistan issue were found on the walls of the Red Cross Bhawan in Jalandhar. Police registered a case and began examining CCTV footage, while a video claiming responsibility for the graffiti was also circulated.
The district administration has also imposed restrictions on unauthorised aerial activity in Jalandhar on September 30 from 10 am to 6 pm as part of the security arrangements for the Home Minister’s visit. The restrictions cover drones and other unauthorised aircraft, while the VVIP helicopter or aircraft associated with Shah’s visit is exempted.
Shah’s visit comes as the BJP concludes its anti-drug campaign in Punjab with a major rally in Jalandhar. The four ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab’ yatras were launched earlier this month and have converged in the city for the concluding programme.
The security alert also comes against the backdrop of political exchanges over the drug issue in Punjab. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has raised questions about the role of central agencies in tackling drug trafficking, while the BJP has made the drug issue a major focus of its campaign.
Authorities are treating the threat seriously as security arrangements remain heightened across the city ahead of the Home Minister’s programme.