Two prominent Indian cricket venues, Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium and Indore’s Holkar Stadium, were thrust into chaos on Monday after receiving bomb threat emails, escalating security concerns across the nation.
The threats, which come amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, have prompted swift action from authorities and heightened vigilance at sporting facilities.
The threatening emails, sent to official accounts of the Rajasthan Sports Council and the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), prompted immediate evacuations and extensive security sweeps, with no explosives found.
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Bomb Threats Target Sawai Mansingh Stadium & Holkar Stadium Amid Heightened India-Pakistan Tensions
The first threat targeted Sawai Mansingh Stadium, home to the Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals. According to Jaipur’s Additional SP Lalit Sharma, the threatening email was sent to the official email address of the Rajasthan State Sports Council.
The Bomb Disposal Squad, assisted by the Dog Squad, conducted a thorough search of the premises, finding no suspicious items. This marks the second bomb threat to the Jaipur stadium in less than two weeks.
"The mail was sent to the official email ID of the Sports Council. Acting on this, the stadium was vacated. The Bomb Disposal Squad, with the help of the Dog Squad, is conducting an investigation," Additional Superintendent of Police Lalit Sharma said as quoted to ANI.
Neeraj A. Pawan, the council’s president, reported that the email explicitly threatened a bomb attack, prompting immediate action. He said,
"We received a bomb threat through email. The mail was then sent to the Police Commissioner. The bomb disposal squad and frisking team have arrived here...The investigation is underway. The stadium has been completely evacuated."
Less than an hour later, a nearly identical threat was emailed to the MPCA, targeting Holkar Stadium in Indore. Jitendra Singh Yadav, in charge of Tukoganj Police Station, reported that the MPCA received the threatening email, leading to an immediate evacuation.
"We received information from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) office that they had received an email threatening to blow up the Holkar Stadium," Tukoganj police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Yadav said as quoted to PTI.
This was the second threat to Holkar Stadium in three days. That email gave warning of explosions in retaliation for "Operation Sindoor" and claimed "Pakistan’s sleeper cells are active across India." However, after investigation, it turned out to be a hoax.
IPL to Resume on May 17 Following India-Pakistan Ceasefire
The back-to-back threats come against the backdrop of heightened India-Pakistan tensions, which have already disrupted cricketing events on both sides. The Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) was suspended for a week on May 9 due to security concerns following air raid alerts in cities near Dharamsala.
Following the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to resume the season on May 17 with the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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