Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting with top ministers Anurag Thakur (Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Minister), Amit Shah (Home Minister), Piyush Goel (Minister of Commerce & Industry), and BJP party president JP Nadda to discuss the parliament security breach that happened on 13th December 2023.
The incident occurred on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 parliament attack., when Lashkar-e Taiba attacked the complex killing nine people. Under Shri Anish Dayal Singh, DG, CRPF, an inquiry committee has been set up. Following the attack, seven security personnel have been suspended by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the act and called it unfortunate and a conspiracy against democracy. He assured swift action, stressed the need for caution in issuing visitor passes, and promised to implement measures to prevent future breaches.
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Details of the Parliament Security Breach
The intruders planned a twin attack, one inside and one outside the Parliament. Two men, who stormed inside the house with smoke cans have been identified as Sagar Sharma, a resident of Lucknow, and D Manoranjan, a 35-year-old engineer from Bengaluru.
The attack happened around 11:40 AM. The two entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor’s gallery and jumped over seats, shouted slogans against dictatorship, and ignited yellow smoke cans. Both MP’s and security personnel had a tense struggle with the attackers and nabbed them.
The two had bypassed multiple checkpoints and were allegedly aided by forged visitor passes. This incident highlights the potential lapses in verification procedures. The ease with which they entered raises concerns about potential insider involvement and weaknesses in security.
A similar attack happened outside the Parliament by Anmol and Neelam Devi. The intruders repeatedly chanted the slogans Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Mahilao pe Atyachaar nahi chalega (violence against women will not be allowed), and Tanashahi nahi chalegi (dictatorship will not be allowed). The key conspirator of the attack – Lalit Jha is also been identified and is under police custody.
Days before the attack -Khalistan Separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun reportedly threatened an attack on Parliament “on or before December 13th.” However, no direct link between his threat and the breach has been established. All 5 attackers have been booked under the UAPA act
How did the intruders get the visitor pass?
The two intruders, Sagar and Manorajan had their visitor passes issued under the name of a BJP MP from Mysuru, Pratap Simha. As per the rules, anyone seeking a visitor’s pass must put a request in the name of the Member of Parliament from their constituency and a security check is done.
Pratap Sinha issued a clarification to the speaker of the house, Om Birla informing him that D Manoranjan was in constant touch with his office to get the passes over the pretext of visiting the new parliament building.
Questions from the Opposition
Opposition leaders demanded a thorough investigation and answers over the security lapses. The leaders loudly protested and demanded an explanation from the government. During the proceedings, heated arguments erupted in the house that led to fourteen MPs getting suspended for the remainder of the winter session.
SR Parthiban (DMK), VK Sreekandan (Congress), S Venkatesan (CPI-M), Benny Behanan (Congress), , PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K Subbarayan (CPI), Mohammad Jawed (Congress) TN Prathapan (Congress) Hibi Eden (Congress), Jothimani (Congress), Ramya Haridas (Congress), Dean Kuriakose ( Congress) and Manickam Tagore (Congress) were among the MPs suspended from Lok Sabha and Derek O’ Brien was suspended from Rajya Sabha.
The attack serves as a stark reminder that even the most symbolic and fortified institutions are not immune to such threats.
