Bhubaneswar, Jan 9: Several district courts across Odisha received bomb threats on Thursday, triggering widespread panic and alertness across the state. Following the threats, the state government moved swiftly into action mode and ordered immediate investigations. Subsequent checks confirmed that all the threats were hoaxes.

In the backdrop of the fake bomb scare reported from different parts of the state, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting held at Lok Seva Bhavan on Thursday.

Officials informed the meeting that all bomb threats were false. Police bomb detection squads, quick reaction teams, special tactical units, intelligence officials, and other security agencies rushed to the affected locations and conducted thorough searches. Authorities stated that there was no cause for public panic.

However, the Chief Minister cautioned that such threats could recur and stressed the need for constant preparedness. He directed the police to issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with such situations and instructed all concerned agencies to remain on high alert at all times.

The Chief Minister also emphasized the need to further strengthen bomb squads across the state. While Odisha has trained forces for bomb detection and disposal, he said they should be equipped with advanced training and modern techniques to enhance operational efficiency.

It may be recalled that soon after reports of the bomb threat emerged on Thursday morning, the Chief Minister held discussions with the Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, and the Director General of Police, directing them to take immediate and effective action.

The high-level meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shashwat Mishra, Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania, Director of Intelligence R.P. Koche, and other senior officials.