Parents rushing to schools, children running out of classes, students crying, blaring sirens of fire-tenders, sniffer dogs being pressed into service -- these were the scenes witnessed outside schools in Delhi-NCR on Wednesday as more than 100 schools received a hoax e-mail about the presence of bombs on their premises.
It was only an hour or so since parents had dropped off their children at schools when they received messages from the school authorities, informing them that they have received an e-mail threatening the safety and security of the students.In panic, many parents rushed to the schools.
Noida resident Monika Arora, whose son studies in Class 12 in DPS-Noida, said, "My son had left for his extra classes at 6:30 am. Around 8 am, we received a message about a threat e-mail. The school authorities asked the parents whose children travel by private taxis to get them picked while those who come in school buses were being sent back."
Initially, when the students learnt that it was going to be an off-day for them, they were excited but later, the younger ones among them started crying.
"The parents in the school WhatsApp group were in a state of panic. They were asking several questions even as teachers kept updating that the bomb disposal squad had arrived and even sniffer dogs were present. My son told me that while students in the higher classes said it could be a hoax e-mail, younger students started crying," Arora said
Parents, who had more than one kid to pick up and take care of, found it difficult to reach the spots all at once.Rukesh Kumar, whose daughters study in two different schools in east Delhi, said students were evacuated by teachers. "Some students climbed up trees saying they will be saved if there is an explosion. Some tried to hide themselves in safe places," Kumar said.Visuals from Mayur Vihar's Mother's Mary school showed concerned parents assembling outside to pick up their children.
The school administration made announcements on the microphone."I dropped my child 10-15 minutes ago. Then I received a call from the school, asking me to take my child back due to some emergency," Vijay Kumar said.
"I had come to drop my children off. A lot of people had gathered outside the school and there were shouts of people coming from inside. When we inquired, we did not get any satisfactory response," Manoj Kumar, a local resident, said.
Similar scenes were witnessed outside Chanakyapuri's Sanskriti School.Fire-tenders, ambulances and police vehicles were seen on stand-by outside the schools while bomb detection teams and bomb disposal squads were conducting searches inside.
Kirti had dropped her son at the BGS International School in Dwarka and was waiting for him to go in when she saw the boy return with the school staff.
"I was waiting outside the school when I saw my son returning along with all the staff members. I was extremely worried. When some people shouted that there was a bomb in the school, I asked my son to hop on to my scooter," she said.
Several schools called up and sent messages to parents, asking them to urgently pick up their wards.Hemlata, the mother of a student in the Amity School in Pushp Vihar said this was the third time she had to rush to the school to pick up her child due to a hoax."We were asked by the school authorities to pick up our children. It was natural to feel scared. If such threats surface again and again, it means there is some danger looming over the students," she said.
Khushboo, whose daughter is a Class-6 student in the Red Roses Private School in Saket, said, "I was preparing to leave for office when I received a call from the driver of my daughter's school van, asking me to rush to the school as there was a bomb threat. We immediately went to the school. All of us in the family were tense but fortunately, she returned safely."
Schools that did not receive the bomb threat were also flooded with queries by parents and guardians.
According to police officials, initial investigations suggest that the e-mail was sent to multiple locations since Tuesday.
