4 Delhi schools receive bomb threats, later declared a hoax

A combination of rising pollution levels, persistent hoax bomb threats, and looming winter vacations have meant that schools across Delhi are constantly switching between online, offline, and hybrid modes - a turbulence that has led to constant disruption to the lives of students, teachers, and parents.

- Aheli Das and Varun Bhandari

NEW DELHI: A combination of rising pollution levels, persistent hoax bomb threats, and looming winter vacations have meant that schools across Delhi are constantly switching between online, offline, and hybrid mode—a turbulence that has led to constant disruption to the lives of students, teachers, and parents.

Changes triggered by the fluctuating levels of anti-pollution actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) have kept everyone guessing which stage of Grap will be in force.

While stages 1 and 2 allow regular classes, Stage 3 requires primary classes to go "hybrid", and Stage 4 extends hybrid learning to all grades except 10 and 12. Severe pollution can even prompt the Delhi government's Department of Education (DoE) to close all physical classes.

In addition, schools are grappling with bomb hoaxes—nearly 50 this month alone—causing mass evacuations, police investigations, and mounting anxiety. Four institutes received such threats on Tuesday.

Though all the letters were later found to be hoaxes, they add to the stress for everyone involved—schools are forced to evacuate all students and staff each time they receive such a message, while teams of police, bomb squads, and firefighters are sent in to investigate each and every case.