In a major security breach during the Zero Hour at 1:02 pm in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday — the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament attack — two intruders, both carrying smoke canisters emitting yellow-coloured smoke, jumped from the visitors’ gallery and ran into the Lok Sabha chamber, shouting slogans before being overpowered by MPs.
At the same time, two persons, including a woman, also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans “tanashahi nahi chalegi” (dictatorship will not be allowed) outside Parliament as they were protesting in front of Transport Bhawan. All four have been detained by security forces. Two persons involved in the Lok Sabha incident have been identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan. Sharma had come to the visitor’s gallery as a guest of Mysuru Lok Sabha member Prathap Simha.
Separately, a man and a woman identified as Neelam, 42, of Haryana’s Hisar, and Amol Shinde, 25, of Maharashtra’s Latur area were detained on Wednesday while they were protesting outside the Parliament building carrying cans that emitted yellowish and red smoke.
The two jumped into the chamber from the public gallery at 1:02 pm. While one was spotted from jumping over the benches, the other was left dangling from the gallery before jumping into the chamber, according to several MPs present in the House.
BJP member Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm as one part of the Lok Sabha chamber was filled with yellow-coloured smoke. Sources said the Delhi Police suspects the involvement of two more people along with the four who have already been held in the Wednesday security breach of Parliament. All six were known to each other and were staying in a house in Gurugram, they claimed. Police sources said that the four accused knew each other and had two other accomplices, who are yet to be traced.
“While four have been held, the fifth has been identified. The two suspects and the four accused stayed in a house in Gurugram, and it seems that the incident was planned. No mobile phones have been found on the accused, and police are looking for their phones,” said a police source.
Video footage from the Parliament CCTV system revealed one man, donned in a dark blue shirt, leaping across desks to evade capture, while the second was in the visitors’ gallery spraying smoke. Television footage showed them jumping from desk to desk and appeared to be headed towards the Well of the House. Both men were overpowered by MPs and security staff. Another video showed a Lok Sabha official reading to the House seconds before the chaos. Suddenly, shouts of “catch him, catch him” can be heard.
According to a preliminary probe, tear-gas canisters were found in the shoes of the suspect. While the affiliation of the protesters was not known immediately, US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had recently released a video threatening to attack Parliament on or before December 13.
Members who overpowered the two persons inside the Lok Sabha chamber said, “One of them was saying I am a patriot and came here to protest.” Many Lok Sabha members beat up the intruders before handing them over to security. JD(U) member Ramprit Mandal said the intruders had hidden the gas canisters in their shoes and sprayed yellow-coloured gas in the Lok Sabha chamber.
Mandal, who was near the intruder, said RLP member Hanuman Beniwal and other members overpowered the person. “One of the two was raising slogans ‘Tanashahi nahi chalegi’,” Mandal said. At the same time in a similar incident, after opening the gas canisters that emitted the smoke outside the Parliament building, the two protesters also raised slogans such as “Tanashahi Nahi Chalegi” (dictatorship will not be allowed), “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Bheem, Jai Bharat,” police officials said. Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora visited Parliament to take stock of the situation after the twin security breaches. The area around Parliament was turned into a fortress following the incidents with the deployment of police and paramilitary. The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has been tasked with the investigation of both incidents, according to officials.”
