The Gauhati High Court received a bomb threat via email on Tuesday morning from an unknown organisation calling itself the “Madras Tigers,” prompting a six-hour search operation by police and CRPF personnel.
The high court, the oldest in the Northeast, has been operational since 1948.
According to police sources, the threat email was sent to the court’s official email ID, warning of an explosion on the premises.
“We were alerted about the email at around 11.15am and launched a full-fledged search by 11.40am. The operation continued till 5.30pm,” a senior police official told The Telegraph. “Personnel from the police, intelligence, and CRPF rushed to the spot following the alert.”
After combing the entire premises, both inside and out, officials concluded that the threat was a hoax. “It turned out to be a bomb scare,” the official said.
The court, which falls under the jurisdiction of Latasil police station in Guwahati, remained functional throughout the search.
A 14-member police team searched inside the court complex, including courtrooms and the conference room, while a four-member CRPF dog squad scanned the external areas.
The city’s cybercrime unit is investigating the origin of the email, which court sources said was signed off by a previously unheard-of group named “Madras Tigers”.
“It’s an unidentified group. The cyber crime unit is working to trace the source of the email,” the official said.
On the question of heightened security, police said the high court already has a round-the-clock security detail comprising a permanent police platoon of at least 17 personnel.
“We also have a dedicated Quick Response Team on duty from 8am to 10pm. The court is a high-security zone and we remain on high alert at all times,” the official added.
Rainfall
Heavy rains in the early hours of Tuesday flooded parts of Guwahati, leading to massive traffic snarls on most arterial roads.
The rain lasted for two to three hours, leading to knee-deep water on all major roads of the city.
Waterlogging was reported from Zoo Road, RG Baruah Road, GS Road, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Guwahati Club, Lachit Nagar, Chandmari, Panjabari, Jorabat, Tarun Nagar and Survey, among others.
Power cuts were also reported from some areas.
“Thunderstorms and lightning accompanied by gusty winds reaching up to 50-60 kmph are very likely to occur at isolated places over Assam,” the IMD’s Regional
Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati said in a weather bulletin.
The Gauhati High Court in August last year said that the time had come to deal with the problem of flooding in the city and the government was required to take steps to resolve this problem permanently.
Additional inputs by PTI