Security breach: Two miscreants arrested for intruding Parliament, creating ruckus in LS
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In a serious security breach on the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attack on Parliament, two unidentified men were arrested after they intruded on the new building, jumped from the Visitors’ Gallery into the Lok Sabha, released a yellow smoke and shouted slogans, triggering disturbance, on Wednesday.
Some MPs tried to catch them before the security officials overpowered them.
One of them was thrashed, as he shouted Tanashahi Khatam Karo, Sambvidhan Ki Raksha Karo (End the tyranny, save the Constitution.)
Before this incident, another two youths, including a woman, created a similar smokescreen in front of the Parliament Gate near Transport Bhawan, shouting the same slogan. They were also arrested and taken to the nearest police station.
The unprecedented intrusion happened after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others, paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the December 13, 2001, terror attack organized by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, outside the House.
The incident started unfolding in Zero Hour when, during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, two youths disrupted proceedings by jumping from the Visitors’ Gallery into the Lok Sabha, releasing a yellow smokescreen from a canister, and shouting slogans.
At the time of the incident, BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal was presiding over the proceedings of the Lower House. BJP MP Khagen Murmu was speaking while other members were also raising matters of public importance.
All of a sudden, just before 1 PM, a youth in his 20s jumped from the Visitors’ Gallery. He fell on the floor but stood up and rushed to the front row of the members’ benches by jumping from one row of the benches to another.
After jumping three rows, he removed his shoes and took out a small cylindrical object, which burst and created a yellow smoke screen all over.
Meanwhile, the members noticed another unidentified youth near the hall gate with a similar cylindrical object billowing smoke. It was not clear how he entered the hall, or jumped in, amidst the chaos. Soon, both miscreants were overpowered and taken out by security staff.
Amid this commotion, Speaker Lok Sabha Om Birla rushed into the House, took his Chair, and announced adjournment until 2 PM.
The intruders’ identity was unclear nor could it be immediately known who was the MP facilitating their entry into the Visitors’ Gallery.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, said that the two men hurled something like a gas canister which emitted a gas inside the House.
“Two young men jumped from the gallery and hurled something from which gas was emitting. They were caught by MPs and brought out by security personnel. The House was adjourned till 2 PM. This is certainly a security breach because today we observed the death anniversary of martyrs who sacrificed their lives this day in 2001.”
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, “Suddenly, two young men, around 20 years old, jumped into the House from the Visitor’s Gallery and carried canisters emitting yellow smoke. One of them was attempting to run towards the Speaker’s Podium. They were shouting some slogans. The smoke could have been poisonous.”
S Senthilkumar, DMK MP, said that the two men rushed towards the Well of the House and lit up smoke sticks.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said, “All those who come here, be it visitors or reporters, don’t carry identification tags. So, I think the government should pay attention to this. This is a complete security lapse. Anything could have happened inside the Lok Sabha…”
Condemning the attack, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said that today’s attack has reopened wounds of the 2001 Parliament attack.
“India still remembers the terrorist attack on our Parliament in 2001. Today’s security breach is an agonizing echo of that dark day, reopening wounds on its anniversary,” added Chadha.
Police are looking to find a link between this incident and Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu’s threat to attack the Indian Parliament on or before December 13.
