Key Highlights
- Targeted Threat: Fortis Hospital Mohali and 16 local schools received a bomb threat via email at 1:11 p.m. on February 17, 2026.
- Specific Warnings: The email, sent by an account named “Hunter Farley,” referenced the “Khalistan National Army” and mentioned radioactive polonium poisoning.
- Security Lockdown: Five bomb disposal squads and sniffer dog teams are conducting thorough sweeps of the hospital and affected schools.
- CM’s Health Status: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann remains in stable condition after being re-admitted for exhaustion and high blood pressure on Monday evening.
- Precautionary Closures: Educational institutions in Mohali were evacuated and closed for the day as police conducted anti-sabotage checks.
A wave of panic hit the Mohali district on Tuesday afternoon as a series of threatening emails triggered a massive security operation at Fortis Hospital and multiple private schools. The situation is being treated with extreme gravity by the Punjab Police and intelligence agencies, primarily because Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is currently receiving treatment at the targeted medical facility.
The threatening message, which arrived shortly after noon, contained highly provocative language. It claimed that the Chief Minister was being targeted with polonium, a rare and lethal radioactive substance, and explicitly compared his situation to the 1995 assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh.
According to Mohali Superintendent of Police Dilpreet Singh, the entire hospital premises have been cordoned off. While essential medical services remain operational to ensure patient care is not disrupted, non-essential movement has been restricted. Five specialized bomb disposal units from neighboring districts like Rupnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib have been called in to assist with the search operations.
Coordination and Investigation into “Hunter Farley”
The investigation has traced the threatening emails to a Gmail account under the name “Hunter Farley.” The messages reportedly used extremist rhetoric, referring to Punjab as “Khalistan” and warning of explosive devices planted across the city’s educational hubs.
This is not the first instance of such scares in the region, as Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Jalandhar have seen similar “hoax” threats in recent weeks. However, the specific mention of the Chief Minister and the use of radioactive threats have necessitated a higher level of tactical response. Cyber teams are currently analyzing the digital footprint of the sender to determine if the threat originated domestically or from overseas servers.
Context: CM’s Ongoing Health Concerns
The security crisis comes at a delicate time for the state administration. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was first rushed to Fortis Hospital on Sunday, February 15, after experiencing a spike in blood pressure during a visit to Sangrur. Although he was discharged on Monday morning and attended an anti-drug rally in Moga, he was re-admitted at 8:30 p.m. the same evening after his condition regressed due to exhaustion.
Doctors at Fortis have stated that the CM is “stable and under multidisciplinary observation,” but the added stress of a security breach at the facility has forced the police to deploy additional layers of protection. Currently, there are no plans to relocate the Chief Minister, as the hospital is considered a high-security zone with adequate cordoning.
Impact on Local Schools
The panic extended to at least 16 private schools in Mohali, including prominent institutions like Yadvindra Public School and Manav Mangal. Upon receiving the emails, school administrations immediately declared a holiday, asking parents to pick up their children. Buses already en route were diverted, and many schools were cleared within thirty minutes of the alert.
While preliminary searches have yet to uncover any suspicious or explosive material, authorities have urged the public to remain calm and avoid spreading rumors on social media. The Punjab Police has maintained that the situation is under control, though they remain on high alert until the hospital and all schools are officially cleared.
