Thousands of tourists and holidaymakers in Shimla were forced to vacate Ridge – the town’s famed centre of attraction beside the British-era Mall Road - in utter disappointment on Friday night, hours before New Year celebrations, following a bomb scare to blow off the Ridge.
The Ridge which was buzzing with tourists on New Years' Eve, wore a deserted look by midnight. Even though the police kept downplaying the bomb scare, panic spread in the town. Once the threat was registered, the police took just 30 to 35 minutes to clear the Ridge of tourists and revellers.
Initially being seen as a Covid-safety measure against Omicron, senior police officers eventually confirmed that some intelligence inputs from Punjab had compelled them to act in the safety of the tourists. A highly confidential Intelligence input accessed by Outlook said that a "Pakistan-based entity is planning to carry out bomb blasts at Shimla Ridge – the place which attracts maximum tourists and crowds during New Year celebrations.”
Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi quickly imposed section 144 in the town, particularly the Ridge and Mall Road as the police acted swiftly to clear the space asking the tourists to return to their hotels.
A mega water storage tank, built by the British beneath Ridge, was also apparently a target, a senior intelligence official told Outlook.
The state government had not imposed any curbs on tourists to facilitate new year celebrations except invoking strict vigil relating to adherence to the Covid-appropriate behaviour like wearing of masks.
Massive tourists footfall in the city however left the authorities struggling to force social distancing and strict compliance to the Covid-19 guidelines despite frequent checking and public advisories.
It was only around 7.30 pm when the police swung into action and cut off entry to the Ridge from all directions, asking the tourists to immediately vacate the area.
Dog squads and bomb disposal teams reached in quick succession to check vulnerable points including dust bins to rule out chances of bombs being planted by anti-national elements.
The security around vital installations including Chief Minister‘s residence and Raj Bhawan was also strengthened, rushing more deployments.
The vigil was also increased at the movement of migrant labourers and suspicious elements to prevent any untoward incident during the celebrations.
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