Chandigarh, October 15, 2026: Security was tightened around several schools in Chandigarh on Thursday after threatening emails were received by educational institutions across different parts of the city, prompting police and specialised security teams to begin precautionary checks.
By late morning, information had emerged about threats being received by around a dozen schools, including both government and private institutions. Police teams were alerted as school authorities reported the emails and security checks were initiated at the affected campuses.
The threats came on a day when neighbouring Punjab was observing a statewide bandh over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. The shutdown affected markets, transport and educational institutions in several parts of Punjab.
However, authorities have not established any connection between the Chandigarh school threats and the Punjab bandh. The timing of the two developments should therefore not be treated as evidence that they are related.
Police are examining the threatening emails to determine their origin and whether the messages received by different schools were sent from the same source. Cyber investigators are also expected to examine technical details connected with the emails.
Security personnel carried out precautionary inspections at school premises as part of the response. At the time of writing, there was no confirmed official information indicating the recovery of an explosive device or other suspicious material from the affected schools.
The priority for the authorities remained the safety of students, teachers and other staff. School managements were asked to cooperate with police teams while the authenticity of the threats was being examined.
The latest incident has caused understandable concern among parents, particularly because Chandigarh has witnessed similar threatening emails targeting educational institutions on earlier occasions as well.
Investigators will now focus on tracing the sender, determining whether the emails were part of a coordinated campaign and establishing the intention behind sending threats to multiple schools.
Police have also urged people to avoid circulating unverified messages or rumours while security checks remain underway. Any decision regarding evacuation, closure or resumption of normal activity at individual schools will depend on the assessment of the authorities and respective school administrations.
The situation remains under close watch, and further clarity is expected after police complete searches at the affected premises and technical teams examine the origin of the emails.
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