Panic gripped several parts of Chandigarh this morning after several local schools received a fresh bomb threat email, prompting swift action by the police and bomb disposal teams.Among the private schools that received the threat were Vivek High School, St John’s School, Carmel Convent School, Delhi Public School, Shivalik Public School, Banyan Tree School, Chitkara International School, Ankur Public School-14, Kundan Public School, AKSIPS-45, Gurukul (Manimajra) and 3BRD Airforce School.Among government schools, those in Sectors 8, 10, 16 and ⁠Dadumajra received the threat.The email not just threatened of explosions in schools, but also at the Secretariat building. Police officials, along with bomb squad teams and fire brigade personnel, rushed to the institutions as soon as they were alerted.The email with subject, “Chandigarh School Bomb Blast,” claimed that Chandigarh belonged to Khalistan and warned of bomb explosions, urging people to save their children. It referred to alleged “justice” for Hardeep Singh Nijjar and mentioned specific timings for Chandigarh schools (1:11pm) and the Punjab Secretariat (3:11pm). The message further threatened that the entire city would witness blasts within the next two days, included references to Canada, and ended with the name of a so-called Khalistan National Army along with a few purported signatories.Some schools initiated an immediate evacuation of students and staff as a precautionary measure. The authorities said the email carried a message similar in nature to previous threats, putting the city on high alert.Examination centres were also impacted, with ongoing tests halted at multiple locations. However, in certain schools, exams resumed after the bomb disposal squad and fire services conducted thorough checks and declared the premises safe. Police personnel have been deployed outside schools that have already been cleared.Security agencies are examining the fresh emails and reviewing their similarity with the January incident. Officials have urged the public and parents to remain calm and rely only on verified information.Similar scare on January 28The latest alert comes barely weeks after a major hoax threat rattled the city on January 28, when multiple schools in Chandigarh received bomb threat emails, triggering widespread evacuations. The authorities had deployed bomb disposal squads, dog squads and quick response teams across campuses.Reports at the time indicated that more than two dozen schools were affected, leading to large-scale panic among parents and students.The police later confirmed that no suspicious objects were found and launched a cyber investigation to trace the origin of the emails.Who is NijjerHardeep Singh Nijjar was an Indo-Canadian Sikh activist. Indian authorities had designated him a terrorist in 2020, alleging links with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and other separatist activities. He was shot dead on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in Surrey. His killing triggered a major diplomatic dispute between Canada and India after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of a possible link to Indian agents, which India strongly rejected.