The Taj Mahal was briefly shut and tourists were evacuated on Thursday morning after the Uttar Pradesh police received a call stating a bomb in the 17th-century monument. The Uttar Pradesh police said it turned out to be a hoax call.
The hoax call was made on the police helpline number after which the central industrial security forces (CISF) got the Taj Mahal evacuated.
The entry of the tourists was resumed after 11:00 am. A senior police officer said no bomb was found in the Taj mahal.
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An official said the hoax call was being traced to Firozabad.
“This morning, an unknown person called on Uttar Pradesh police helpline number 112 and said there will be a bomb blast at the Taj Mahal. Immediately, as per Standard operating procedure (SOP), our bomb squad and other teams conducted a search of the premises. So far, our field units haven’t given any information of such an item being found.” Inspector general Satish Ganesh said.
The monument is preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India and protected by armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
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The monument was reopened for tourists during the month of September 2020 with strict covid-19 protocols after being shut for over six months. It had been closed since March 17 last year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
