Bomb Hoax At Gujarat Assembly Complex Minutes Before Session

The Gujarat Assembly complex in Gandhinagar received a bomb threat via email on Wednesday, which turned out to be a hoax after a thorough check of the premises.

The bomb threat was received on the official email ID of the assembly just minutes before the House proceedings were scheduled to begin during the ongoing budget session.

The email claimed a bomb had been planted in the assembly complex, following which all staff and MLAs were asked to vacate the premises, Deputy Superintendent of Police Piyush Vanda told PTI. 

"Upon learning about the bomb threat, which was received via an email, local police reached the premises and started the search for explosives," Vanda said.

Local police, administrative officials, and specialised units, including the bomb disposal squad and canine teams, were deployed to the site to conduct a comprehensive search of the building.

The House proceedings began after an hour's delay. "An official of the assembly received the threat email in the morning, following which the premises were thoroughly checked by police upon my request. Nothing suspicious was found during the exercise," Speaker Shankar Chaudhary said in the assembly. 

"It appears that some elements want to dilute the peaceful atmosphere of Gujarat. They sent such threat emails to schools, courts in the past and now to the assembly. The state government has taken this threat seriously," said BJP MLA Mahesh Kaswala. 

This incident follows a recent pattern of similar hoax threats targeting various government offices and schools across the state over the past few months.

While the investigation to trace the source of the communication remains ongoing, security protocols at the secretariat have been tightened as a precautionary measure.