Bomb threat emails trigger security scare for Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, BJP chief Sunil Jakhar

Security agencies in Punjab and Delhi have been placed on high alert after a series of bomb threats targeting Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar surfaced on Wednesday. The threats were sent through an anonymous email to the state administration, warning of attacks on political leaders and government offices.

The email described both Mann and Jakhar as “enemies of the Sikhs” and claimed that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) would be targeted in an explosion at 1:11 pm. The sender also referred to the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

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The communication further claimed that BJP offices in Punjab and Delhi would witness blasts later in the evening at 9:11 pm.

Sunil Jakhar was also issued a direct warning in the email, which claimed he would be targeted before June 6. The sender referred to alleged remarks made by Jakhar’s father, former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar, in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The mail ended with pro-Khalistan rhetoric.

At the time the threat surfaced, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was in Delhi for meetings with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He is expected to return to Punjab later in the day.

Sunil Jakhar, meanwhile, remains in Punjab and has recently been holding meetings with party leaders and officials following the ink attack incident at a BJP office in Zirakpur.

This is not the first such security alert involving the Punjab Chief Minister. Earlier this month, a similar email threat was sent to schools in Jalandhar, mentioning both Mann and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu.

In February this year, threats were also issued to a hospital where the Chief Minister was undergoing treatment. Security agencies are additionally monitoring earlier warnings linked to Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Security around political establishments has since been tightened, especially after the grenade attack at the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh on April 1, 2026. The attack was claimed by a faction linked to Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), following which five people allegedly connected to foreign-based handlers were arrested.

Police are now tracing the origin of the latest email while security cover for both leaders has been strengthened.