Gujarat Courts Bomb Threats After School Email Scare

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — A wave of panic swept across Gujarat once again as district courts in six major cities received bomb threat emails, just a day after over 40 schools were targeted in a similar fashion. The fresh threats — sent to courts in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Valsad — triggered massive security operations, evacuations and high alert across the state.

The Vadodara District Court in Diwalipura was among the first to respond. As soon as the threatening email surfaced, police teams, bomb detection and disposal squads, and dog squads rushed to the premises. Lawyers were evacuated immediately, and court proceedings were halted. A large crowd of advocates gathered outside the complex as senior police officials monitored the situation.

In Valsad, an unknown sender issued a bomb threat on the official email ID of the district court. The court premises were swiftly cleared, with lawyers, petitioners and staff shifted to safe zones. Bomb squads conducted intensive searches while local police sealed entry points as a precaution.

Similar precautionary evacuations were carried out at the Gandhinagar Sessions Court and the old High Court building in Ahmedabad. In Mehsana, the court administration acted within minutes of receiving the threat email. The main gates were shut, and everyone present inside the complex was escorted out safely.

DCP Zone 2 Manjita Vanzara confirmed that cyber experts are investigating whether the court threat emails are linked to the earlier threats sent to schools. “It is being examined whether yesterday’s school emails and today’s court emails originated from the same source. Our cyber teams are actively working on it. There is no need for panic. Thorough checks are being conducted at all locations,” she said.

The development comes a day after 40 schools across Gujarat received bomb threats via email on February 16, 2026. Twenty-five schools in Vadodara city and district and 15 schools in Ahmedabad were targeted. The emails reportedly contained inflammatory messages and attempted to create communal unrest. Police searches at all school premises, however, found nothing suspicious.

The back-to-back threats have raised serious concerns about a coordinated attempt to spread fear and disrupt public order in Gujarat. The pattern — first targeting educational institutions and then judicial establishments — has prompted intelligence agencies to probe deeper into possible organized mischief or cyber terror modules.

Rajkot-based senior advocate Kamlesh Dodia urged strict action. “We trust the government and security agencies. Those behind such cowardly acts must be identified and punished severely,” he said.

Security agencies face mounting challenges in tracing anonymous digital threats routed through encrypted servers and spoofed identities. Officials said forensic analysis of email headers and IP trails is underway, and central intelligence inputs are being examined.

Despite the alarming emails, authorities have reassured citizens that no explosive devices have been found so far.