Taj Mahal under security scare

Taj Mahal evacuated following bomb threat

The iconic Taj Mahal has been vacated following a bomb threat. Security officials are conducting searches in the premises of the monument.

Around 1,000 visitors were at the Taj Mahal who were asked to vacate the premises when the authorities received a bomb threat from an unidentified caller. The police were informed by an unknown person that explosives have been placed inside the Taj Mahal. UP Police took immediate action and traced the phone call. The Western and the Eastern gates of the monument were immediately closed and the tourists were asked to move out. The police officer said that further investigation is underway. According to sources, a search operation is being conducted in the entire premises of Taj Mahal, the bomb squad is also present at the site. There has been a stir in the area since this incident. All possible locations in and around the Taj Mahal was checked by the CISF, Agra police, and a bomb disposal squad. Taj Mahal was temporarily shut for conducting the searches.

The Taj Mahal, India’s most visited monument, was shut for public in the last week of March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequential lockdown. It was reopened in September with several mandatory precautions, including thermal scanning and wearing masks.