Some anxious moments were witnessed on Parliament Street on Monday night after an unclaimed greenish-grey gas cylinder was found lying outside the Press Trust of India building.
The discovery of the cylinder by some security staff members triggered panic among employees in the area. The cylinder with a stainless steel wing-like holder was discovered by the guards of the Hemkunt security agency lying near a huge neem tree when they escorted a female employee out of the building.
The cylinder was found around 20 metres away from the Reserve Bank of India and 100 metres away from Parliament before 10.30 pm. The guards called the Police Control Room number twice, only to find it engaged, following which the Delhi Fire Service was informed. Subsequently, the Delhi Police was also informed and a Bomb Disposal Squad vehicle reached the site.
The BDS personnel scrutinised the cylinder and carried out the necessary drill to ascertain if it was an explosive. They later declared that it was an empty cylinder, the kinds of which are used in hospitals. The Parliament Street police later took possession of the object.
