Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Minister of State for Home (Urban) Yogesh Kadam on Thursday said the email threatening bomb attacks on key buildings, including Vidhan Bhavan and BSE, should not be linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict, while the Congress sought a thorough probe in the matter.
He said security agencies were probing the source of the message, while Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai, where the budget session is currently on, remained secure.
An email threatening “missile and bomb attacks” on Vidhan Bhavan and other key locations in Mumbai triggered a security alert on Thursday, prompting authorities to conduct extensive searches in the legislature complex, officials said.
The email, received on an official email account of the legislature at 6.57 am, mentioned possible attacks on the Vidhan Bhavan complex, Bombay Stock Exchange, Bombay High Court, Mumbai Metro and a bank, Legislative Council chairman Ram Shinde said.
Speaking to reporters, Kadam said authorities were trying to find out the origin of the email and the identity of its sender.
“Such hoax emails do come sometimes, but Vidhan Bhavan is secure. A war is going on in the Middle East, but linking this email to that conflict would be incorrect. Security reviews have been conducted in Mumbai and other important locations,” Kadam asserted.
The minister said the source of the email had not yet been traced and similar messages had been received earlier as well.
“We are reviewing security at all the places mentioned in the email,” he insisted.
Talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar emphasised that the email should be taken seriously in view of the ongoing conflict in West Asia triggered by the February 28 attacks by US-Israel forces on Iran.
“Whenever such emails are received, it is natural that the government should remain alert so that no untoward incident takes place,” Wadettiwar said.
He questioned the strength of India’s intelligence apparatus and said the conflict broke out just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Israel visit.
Raising the issue in the assembly, Wadettiwar urged the state government to take immediate note of the bomb threat issued through an email.
He insisted the matter was serious as the threat had surfaced while the legislature was in session.
Wadettiwar demanded that the state home department conduct a thorough probe to trace the origin of the email and asked the government to make a statement on the issue in the House at the earliest.
Speaking through a point of propriety, the Congress MLA said it was still unclear who sent the email and what forces might be behind it.
He, however, noted that there were discussions in some quarters about a possible link to pro-Khalistani groups.
“If threats are being issued to blow up such important locations, it raises questions whether this reflects a failure of the intelligence system,” the CLP leader maintained.
Wadettiwar asked whether the threat could be linked to rising global tensions, referring to the ongoing conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran. PTI ND MR RSY
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