INTRUSION DRAMA EXPOSES LS SECURITY HOLE

Two jump into LS chamber from visitors' gallery, raise slogans, release yellow smoke, overpowered. Oppn, BJP spar over security lapse

- UJWAL JALALI

REVIVING memories of the horrific 2001 Parliament attack, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a major security breach when two persons jumped from the visitors’ gallery to the chamber around 1 pm during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from the smoke canisters they had slipped in, and shouted slogans.

The two men — D Manoranjan from Mysuru, Karnataka and Sagar Sharma from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh — were overpowered by the MPs present in the House and handed over to security officials. Around the same time, outside Parliament, two others — a man and a woman — were protesting carrying similar cans that emitted colour smoke. Police said the woman was identified as Neelam (42) of Haryana’s Hisar and the man was Amol Shinde (25) of Maharasthra’s Latur. The duo also raised some slogans — tanashahi nahi chalegi (won’t allow dictatorship), Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Bheem.

Neelam and Shinde were interrogated at Parliament Street police station, while those inside the House were still being quizzed inside Parliament till late Tuesday evening.

The accused reportedly claimed they didn’t know each other and that they were not affiliated to any organisation. However, sources said they were connected through social media. “All of them were connected through ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club page’ on Facebook,” top sources privy to the probe told this newspaper.