PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Nainital/Uttarkashi/Dehradun Panic gripped the district and sessions courts in Nainital and Uttarkashi on Monday after bomb threat emails were received on official email IDs at both the locations. Police and security agencies swung into action and court premises were evacuated as a precaution. Inspector general (Law and Order) and police HQ spokesman Sunil Kumar Meena said that information was received about two threat emails. “Our Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) reached the spot along with dog squads and police force,” The police evacuated the court premises and carried out a detailed search which ascertained that the bomb threats were hoax, officials said. According to the information, in Nainital, an email sent from an unknown ID claimed that 12 RDX-based improvised explosive devices had been planted inside the court premises and could explode at about 12:15 PM. The mail also mentioned EWS reservation and referred to banned organisations such as the LTTE and Pakistan’s ISI. Following the alert, police, BDS and a dog squad reached the court complex. The entire area was cordoned off and a thorough search operation was launched. A similar situation was reported at the district court in Uttarkashi, where an official email ID received a bomb threat message in the morning. Court proceedings were immediately halted and the premises were evacuated. Police teams conducted a detailed search of rooms, corridors and nearby areas. Entry and movement inside the campus were restricted and security was tightened. As there is no BDS in Uttarkashi, a team was called from Dehradun. A cyber investigation has also been launched to trace the origin of the email. Members of the Uttarkashi Bar Association expressed concern over court security. They said that courts are sensitive institutions and such threats create fear among the public. They demanded stronger and permanent security arrangements. Garhwal inspector general Rajeev Swaroop said that the SSPs of the districts concerned have been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation. “Our teams reached the spot and inspected the area. We are also investigating to ascertain the source of the email,” he added.