Townhall Times, New Delhi
Reporter: Bhavika Kalra
Kolkata | Tuesday, February 24, 2026, By: Investigative Desk (Crime Bureau)
The historic silence of Kolkata’s Bankshall Court wasn’t broken by a judge’s gavel today. Instead, it was shattered by the frantic blowing of police whistles and the hurried exit of hundreds of lawyers in black robes. By 11:15 AM, the heart of the city’s legal system had become a “No-Go Zone.”
In what looks like a sophisticated, coordinated digital strike, multiple judicial hubs across West Bengal—including the City Civil & Sessions Court, Bankshall, and even the Asansol District Court—received synchronized bomb threat emails. The message was blunt: explosives had been planted to “reset the system.”
The “Phantom” Payload
By early evening, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and sniffer dog units had combed through every dusty record room and basement locker without finding a single gram of gunpowder. But that doesn’t mean the “attack” failed.
The real objective of these digital terror tactics isn’t to level a building; it’s to paralyze the state. By forcing a total evacuation during the busiest hour of the legal day, the anonymous senders successfully hit the “Pause” button on hundreds of critical hearings, bail pleas, and criminal verdicts.
Forensics of a Hoax
Lalbazar’s Cyber Cell has been working since noon to pull apart the email headers. The early signs are troubling. This wasn’t a bored teenager with a laptop. The emails were routed through multiple “onion” layers—encrypted servers often based in offshore jurisdictions—making the “Sender IP” a moving target.
Investigators are currently looking at three main angles:
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The ‘Litigation’ Stalling Theory: Detectives are scanning today’s high-profile cause list. Was there a specific verdict due in Bankshall or Asansol that someone was desperate to stop?
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The Signature Match: The language of these emails is being compared to the “Bot-Hoaxes” that targeted Indian airports last year. Police are looking for specific linguistic tells that might link this to a known group of global digital nuisance actors.
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The Infrastructure Stress Test: There is a suspicion that this was a “probe”—a test to see how fast Bengal’s security forces can respond to a multi-city judicial threat.
Atmosphere on the Ground
Outside the City Civil Court, the scene was one of immense frustration. For the litigants who traveled from far-flung districts, the “hoax” wasn’t just a security scare—it was a financial blow. “I came from Malda for a property hearing that’s been pending for five years,” one elderly man told us, staring at the locked gates. “Now, I go back with nothing but another date.”
The Official Stand
Senior officials at the Kolkata Police Headquarters have confirmed that they are treating this as an act of “Digital Terrorism.” Even if the bombs are fake, the intent to destabilize a pillar of democracy is real. Security is being permanently ramped up, with plans to introduce mandatory X-ray baggage scanners and a specialized cyber-security wing just for judicial communications.
As the sniffer dogs finally left the premises late this evening, the shadow over the judiciary remained. The “bombs” weren’t real, but the vulnerability they exposed is a wake-up call that the state can no longer ignore.
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