Nilakkha Aich the college student — to whom Lalit Jha the parliament smoke bomb attack accused allegedly WhatsApped the first video of the attack — on Thursday denied any role in the Wednesday’s raid. He had no idea about why Jha, now at large, had sent him the video, he said.

Aich also said that he had met Jha only once in Kolkata. “I had met him in the month of April during an event at Central Avenue … I was told that like me he too was involved in social works,” Aich said.

A second-year under-graduate student, Aich said “I have no idea as to why he sent me this video … I was inside my class room and had no idea of what had taken place inside Parliament … I only came to know about things after I received the WhatsApped video … I only watched them.”

He said that he did not know other persons who had been arrested in the case adding none of these people, not even Jha came to his house at Halisahar in North 24 Parganas some thirty miles north of Kolkata.

Neloy Aich, the father of Nilakkha, said that his son was a good student and had no objectionable track record.

“He was involved with some NGOs but every activity took place through Facebook or social media … there was no physical activity involved,” the elder Aich said adding the NGO of which Nilakkha Aich was a member was “probably named Samajwadi Subhas Sabha.”

Sources however claimed that Jha and his people were involved with a number of NGOs functioning from the Jangalmahal area of Jhargram and Purulia --- once a Maoist hotbed.Six people were allegedly involved in the planning and execution of Wednesday's attack. While two of them -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D. -- burst yellow smoke canisters after jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery the others videographed the incident.

Meanwhile, the Bengal Police after being alerted by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Thursday questioned Aich at his residence.

Aich reportedly told the police that as he was involved with a number of NGOs he had come in contact with Jha in the month of April this year.

Aich also informed the police that Jha lived in Kolkata’s Burrabazar area for some time. He allowed himself to be known in the locality as a teacher, sources said.

Jha was an introvert kind of person but never aroused any suspicion among his neighbours, the police sources said adding the man used to pay his rent online.

Jha had not come to his flat for the past one-and-a-half years and his room was under lock and key, neighbours said.