123 Kolkata: The historic Indian Museum was evacuated on Tuesday for three hours following a bomb threat received via email, confirmed police sources. In total, 536 visitors, nine of them foreigners, were asked to step out as a large contingent of cops carried out the search. The fake email, following a couple of them earlier on Jan 5, left cops from the detective department and the KP STF to redouble their search to identify the sender.
"The museum was shut for three hours between 12 noon and 3 pm. The email landed on April 30 early in the morning. However, the museum was shut on Eid and reopened on Tuesday. The write-up and formatting were exactly the same as the threat mail we received on Jan 5. Once again, it landed in our official email ID," said a museum official.
Police and bomb squad units were immediately dispatched to the museum. "A 100-odd member team consisting of Kolkata Police personnel, fire department, DMG, special KP units, CISF, and QRT teams began a combing operation from floor to floor, moving from room to room even as the main gate was cordoned off. The team was led by DD's Bomb Disposal Squad. Several sniffer dogs – both from police and CISF – joined the operation," said a cop.
"We are taking this threat very seriously and have implemented all necessary security protocols," said a joint commissioner. "The safety of our visitors and staff is our top priority." New Market police station officers were seen cordoning off a large section around the museum while bomb detection teams conducted a thorough room-by-room search of the premises. Museum officials have not indicated when the facility might reopen.
The latest threat follows a pattern of false bomb alerts targeting public institutions across India in recent months. The forced shutdown, coming at a time when the museum receives a considerable number of visitors due to an extended govt holiday, left several visitors frustrated. The museum authorities ensured they refunded the money to those who bought advanced tickets.
"We were on the second floor when we were asked to come down. When we asked for our luggage kept in the cloakroom, we were told it would be handed over later after proper checks. We had to wait for a long time before receiving our belongings," said Swastik Chatterjee, a resident of Baruipur who had come with his nephew. brought his nephew with him.
A probe is also underway to determine who is behind the email. The KP STF – along with Cyber Cell – has contacted several internet service providers in this respect. "This seems more than just a prank, rather a shortcut to stay in some sort of news," said a police source.
The CISF personnel are likely to review the situation (after Jan) following the inputs they received, said another officer. A separate security audit was just completed by Kolkata Police a few weeks ago, the earlier one taking place a couple of years ago when a CISF personnel shot inside the premises.
Founded in 1814, the Indian Museum is the oldest and largest multipurpose museum not only in the Indian sub-continent but also in the Asia-Pacific region.