VIDEO: Bomb Threat To PMC Ahead Of Amit Shah's Visit

Pune: Just two days before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Pune on Sunday to launch the Unity Run, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) received its third bomb threat this year on Thursday, raising security concerns ahead of the high-profile event. The threatening email, received around 1.16pm on the official email IDs of the Municipal Commissioner and another senior civic official, warned of an attack on the civic body's main building and the Mayor’s office.

The authorities immediately alerted the local police, bomb disposal squad, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), a team of two to three sniffer dogs and the fire brigade, following which precautionary security checks were initiated.

Confirming the development to The Free Press Journal, PMC Additional Commissioner (Estate) Prajit Nair said the threat was similar to the two previous incidents reported this year and that the civic administration had followed the prescribed security protocol.

Nair told FPJ, “We received a bomb threat email on the official email ID of the Commissioner and another senior official. This is the third such incident this year. We immediately informed the local police station and the bomb disposal squad. The fire brigade was also alerted, and a check was carried out as per protocol. Further investigation is being conducted by the police.”

The email, the contents of which have been shared with the police, also referred to multiple locations in Mumbai. These included the residence of veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, popularly known as Jalsa, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, courts and banks. It also threatened an attack during Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s scheduled concert at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on November 27. The message invoked the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and contained references to the Khalistan National Army. However, the authenticity of these claims and the identity of the sender remain under investigation.

Nair said the administration was deliberately refraining from publicising certain details mentioned in the email to avoid giving unnecessary publicity to the sender. “It is written in a specific type of language. The name mentioned in it would not be right to disclose, as we do not want to give them any unnecessary publicity. Whatever details were available have been shared with the police department,” he said.

Security tightened at civic headquarters

Following the threat, the PMC has decided to continue additional precautionary measures at its headquarters. The administration will restrict the entry of large packages into the premises and intensify routine security checks, similar to the arrangements made during Diwali.

Nair said, “We are just taking precautions. Like we had done during Diwali, when we had imposed restrictions on bringing packages inside the premises, we will continue that now. We will not allow any big package to enter, along with the regular security checks.”

The development comes nearly a month after the PMC conducted a mock drill on October 13 to familiarise employees with emergency response procedures. Nair clarified that such exercises are conducted annually and are not a new initiative introduced following the previous threat.

He told FPJ, “Mock drills are conducted every year. They help staff understand where they should go during an emergency and familiarise themselves with the procedures, keys and access points required during such situations.”

Asked whether the timing of the threat, ahead of Amit Shah’s Sunday visit to Pune, raised any particular concern, Nair said the matter was best addressed by the police. “I think this is for the police to clarify. They are doing their work, and I am sure they will do it in the best possible manner,” he said.

The PMC has filed a complaint, and Pune Police are investigating the source of the email and the motive behind the repeated threats.