By IANS
New Delhi : A city court official Thursday denied having received an email in the name of terror outfit Al Qaeda, threatening to blow up the Taj Mahal, the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, even as security was beefed up at key locations.
“We have not received any such threatening email and tightening of security is a routine procedure which we usually follow,” Ajit Bhariyog, registrar of the Delhi High Court, told reporters.
However, police did not deny the threat to some judges, courts, the parliament complex and the Taj Mahal.
Court officials said Delhi Police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal discussed security arrangements with Delhi High Court Chief Justice M.K. Sharma Thursday afternoon.
“The Delhi High Court’s security department had received the email about 10 days ago. Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh and senior police officials too had reviewed security arrangements,” a court source told IANS.
Delhi Police, which took the threat seriously and intensified security, launched an investigation to trace the sender and check the authenticity of the email. The email has been forwarded to the home ministry.
Court employees were asked to wear identity cards. Directions were issued to allow nobody inside the court premises without identity proof and security check-up. Metal detectors were also put in place.
Police officials said the threat could not be taken lightly as it came less than a month after the Nov 23 coordinated blasts in the civil court premises in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. At least 13 people were killed in that terror attack.
“We have taken unprecedented security measures and are fully prepared. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads have been put on high alert. Additional police personnel have been deployed around the Supreme Court and high court premises,” a police official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Soon after the Uttar Pradesh blasts, some private television news channels had received an email claiming the visiting Pakistani cricket team as well as some cities would be targeted.