Police personnel guarding the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on November 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit: S. Mahinsha
A bomb scare caused some anxious moments at the Kerala Government Secretariat on November 9, 2023.
It prompted the Kerala Police’s bomb detection and disposal squad to scan the building and its precincts with electronic detectors and sniffer dogs. It also searched vehicles parked outside the premises for hidden explosives.
Kerala Police’s bomb squad checking the Secretariat premises in Thiruvananthapuram following a bomb threat on November 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
S. Mahinsha
The police threw a tight security cordon around the Secretariat and severely limited visitors. They also upped Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s security.
Anonymous call
The police said the anonymous caller had conveyed the threat to the Police Control Room number 112 at around 11.10 a.m.
They said prima facie, the threat did not seem credible, but it was too early to term it a hoax. The police saw little reason to evacuate the Secretariat.
The police have launched an investigation to trace the caller. They suspect that the call originated from Pozhiyoor, a coastal locality on the outskirts of the capital city.
Recently, the police control room received a threat to assassinate Mr. Vijayan. The police traced the call to the family of a Class 7 student in Ernakulam.
The 12-year-old’s parents told the police that their ward appeared to have pulled a prank without their knowledge. Nevertheless, the Museum police registered a case under the provisions of the Kerala Police Act.