BHUBANESWAR: Several courts in Odisha received bomb threats on Thursday, triggering panic and emergency preventive measures.
The threat was sent through an anonymous email. The message was received by several courts, a statement from the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack said.
The police have taken cognisance of the matter and initiated a thorough investigation. As a precautionary measure, police checks and enhanced security arrangements have been put in place at all concerned locations. The situation is under close monitoring, it said.
Odisha Police advised the public not to panic and to cooperate with them to maintain security and assist in the investigation. Some of the courts that received the threat emails are Deogarh, Sambalpur and Cuttack.
DGP Khurania directed the senior officers to monitor the security arrangements at the courts. As part of the investigation, police deployed dog squads too at the courts concerned.
The Orissa High Court and the Cuttack District and Sessions Court campuses were vacated after the bomb threat. Upon receiving the email, the Registry informed the courts, following which judicial work was suspended.
Advocates and staff were seen rushing out of the courts. Evacuation processes in the campuses are underway. The police, as well as an anti-bomb squad, have arrived at the courts. The source of the threat mail is yet to be known, and police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Apart from Odisha, courts in Bihar too received a similar threat email on the day, sources said.
However, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said prima facie it appears to be a hoax mail, and there was no threat to the courts in the state.
"Similar threat mail was sent to the courts in Tamil Nadu recently, and the mischief apparently originated from the southern state. The state Crime Branch is looking into the matter," he told the mediapersons.
Sources said the email sent to Odisha courts was written in the Odia language.
Following the threat, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held discussions with Chief Secretary Anu Garg, DGP YB Khurania and other senior officials and took stock of the situation.
Majhi is also likely to hold a high-level meeting in this regard later in the day.