6 Involved In Parliament Smoke Scare, 5 Arrested, 1 On The Run: Sources
New Delhi:
Six people were involved in the planning and execution of a major security breach in Parliament on Wednesday, police sources told NDTV this evening, prompting a flood of questions on security systems in place in the new building, which included at least four levels of screening.
Two individuals – Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan – deployed yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha, and two others – Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde – burst red and yellow canisters outside the Parliament. The fifth has been named as Lalit Jha, at whose Gurgaon home the other five stayed.
The sixth is Vicky Sharma, also from Gurgaon, and he has also been arrested.
Initial inquiries have established the two who popped the smoke cans inside the Lok Sabha are from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh (Sagar Sharma) and Karnataka’s Mysuru (D Manoranjan). The two caught outside Parliament are from Maharashtra’s Latur (Amol Shinde) and Hisar in Haryana (Neelam Devi).
Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan, who were seated in the Lok Sabha’s visitors’ gallery before launching this shocking disruption were given entrance passes requested by BJP MP Pratap Sinha’s office.
Mr Simha, the ruling party’s lawmaker from Mysuru, has told NDTV he will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to explain his position regarding the requests for passes that was forwarded by his office.
The six have known each other for four years and hatched this plan together, news agency PTI said, adding they even reconnoitered the Parliament complex as part of their planning. All of them wanted to go inside Parliament but only two – Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan – got the passes. There is, at this time, no evidence to suggest they were radicalised by any terror group, sources told NDTV.
The police have also released a few more details, including the Aadhaar cards of Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan, while NDTV has learned Neelam Devi, 42, is a teacher studying for the civil services.
According to Neelam’s brother, she was actively involved in the controversial farmers’ protest of 2020 against the government’s three farm laws, but is not linked to any political party.