On the 22nd anniversary of the attack on the Indian Parliament , the Lower House was taken by surprise as two youths jumped into the Sabha from the gallery with canisters in their shoes. Out of the total six involved, five have been caught so far.
Intruders release yellow smoke canisters in an episode of major security breach at parliament Source:X
New Delhi: Sending chills down the spine of Lok Sabha during the Winter Session, two youths jumped into the chamber from the visitors’ gallery setting off coloured smoke canisters. Right after, two individuals outside the parliament released another canister of yellow smoke at the Sansad Chowk. A matter of major security breach, this occurred exactly 22 years post the 2001 Parliament Attack.
As per the reports, a total of six individuals are involved in the act. The police have caught five of them, while one is on the run. The police have also registered case against them under anti-terror law. If sources are to be believed, only one of them hails from Delhi.
The Episode Explained
The incident took place around 1 pm, during the Zero Hour. Thie men, who have been identified as Sagar Sharma (25) from Lucknow and Manoranjan (35) from Mysuru, jumped into the area where the MPs were seated. The intruders shouted slogans and released the smoke canisters which they allegedly hid inside their shoes. They were surrounded and overpowered by MPs before being taken away by the security. The House had to adjourn earlier than scheduled, and this time, not for reasons involving the opposition.
Outside the Sabha, Amol Shinde from Latur, Maharashtra and Neelam from Haryana’s Hisar began protesting, setting off cans with yellow smoke. Soon, they were both detained by the police.
Who are the five accused in the security breach?
Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan, Amol Shinde, Neelam and Lalit Jha. The sixth one is on the run.
How did the intruders make their way inside?
Sagar Sharma was in possession of a pass allegedly issued under the approval of BJP MP from Mysuru, Pratap Simha. Simha said that he issued the pass after the father of the accused made a request.Opposition leaders have demanded for the expulsion of Mr Simha.
The Motive
Initial reports suggest that all of them were unemployed.Neelam, despite being a postgraduate qualifying teachers’ eligibility test, did not have a job. According to her family, she was disheartened by this. They said she had also participated in the farmers’ protest. She took part in wrestlers’ agitation, locals from her village said.
The Execution
Some sources say all of the accused are part of the ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’ on social media and have known each other for about four years. Around one and a half year ago, they met in Mysuru and initiated discussions regarding execution of their plan. They conducted a study of the premises and found a security lapse—shoes aren’t thoroughly check—which they took advantage of.They had stayed at Lalit Jha’s residence in Gurugram before committing the act of terror.
The Aftermath
In the Parliament, which resumed it’s proceedings at 2 pm, Speaker Om Birla stated that a security review would be carried out. Answering opposition question, he said that there was no preliminary evidence to suggest any links between Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s threat and the attack.
The Lok Sabha secretariat temporarily suspended issuing passes for the visitors’ gallery. A review of the security measures at the Parliament is being sought, as per reports. The Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated an investigation into the incident. The Ministry has set up an Enquiry Committee under CRPF DG Anish Dayal Singh which includes members from other security agencies and experts.
Responses from MPs
MP Gaurav Gogoi’s comment show the lapses in Parliament security. He claimed that there was no health protocol followed and he could see an absence of rapid response onsite and emergency evacuation. It was the ushers who handled the intruders and commandos were nowhere to be seen.
Table of Contents
2001 Parliament Attack
The Pakistan-backed attack occurred 22 years ago, on 13 December 2001. A group of terrorists forged Home Ministry sticker on a car, entered the Parliament Complex and opened fire. This was followed by a battle of guns between the officials and the attackers which resulted in the death of all five terrorists, eight security personnel and a gardener. Around 15 people suffered injuries but the MPs escaped unhurt. The then-Home Minister, L K Advani, confirmed the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad in the attack.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Mohammad Afzal Guru, a former Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) militant who had surrendered in 1994,his cousin Shaukat and wife Afsan, and SAR Geelani, a lecturer of Arabic at Delhi University. Afsan and Geelani were eventually acquitted while Shaukat was sentenced to ten years of rigorous improvement in 2005. The Supreme Court upheld Afzal Guru’s death sentence and he was hanged to death on 9 February 2013 in Tihar jail.
