Action plan in place to tackle school bomb threats, hoaxes: Delhi Police to High Court

On May 22, the High Court asked the police to submit an action plan to ensure proper action against such fake threats. The court's direction had come on a petition filed by the parent of a child studying in DPS Mathura Road, which received a bomb threat that later turned out to be a prank by one of the students.Justice Prathiba M. Singh had remarked that such incidents are scary and therefore there needs to be an action plan to deal with such incidents. In its status report, police stated that they have dedicated Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) and Bomb Disposal Teams (BDTs) along with a well-defined standard operating procedure in place. According to the status report submitted on Monday, the police have already taken action against juvenile suspects involved in hoax calls to certain schools this year. The draft action plan, dated July 27, emphasised the coordinated efforts of various stakeholders, including local police, traffic police, fire department, school authorities, disaster management teams, ambulances, and hospitals, to effectively respond to a bomb call situation. Additionally, the plan includes provisions for mock drills to enhance preparedness, ensuring school authorities undertake precautionary measures and plan evacuations in consultation with authorities. Parents and students will be adequately briefed about the legal consequences of making hoax bomb threat calls. The court has listed the matter for further hearing in September and allowed private schools' association to provide suggestions in this regard. The police assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted, with appropriate legal action taken against those responsible for hoax calls, and the final report will be submitted to the respective court promptly. The implementation of this action plan aims to enhance the safety and security of schools in Delhi, providing a comprehensive response framework to address any potential bomb threats effectively. Earlier, during a counselling session, the student had confessed to getting the idea after a similar incident occurred at 'The Indian School' in Delhi's Sadiq Nagar in April this year. Another hoax bomb threat email was received at a private school in South Delhi's Saket area recently, however, nothing suspicious was found. --IANS spr/sha

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