Lok Sabha Speaker Orders Probe into Security Lapse as Intruders Breach Parliament

On Wednesday, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, two attackers sprang from the visitor's gallery in the Lok Sabha, yelled slogans, and tossed something that released yellowish smoke. The event showed stark security flaws in the Parliament.

Around the same moment, two people—a woman among them—also shot colored gas from canisters outside the Parliament building while yelling the phrase "tanashahi nahi chalegi." Sagar Sharma and D. Manoranjan have been identified as the two individuals involved in the Lok Sabha incident. As a guest of Prathap Simha, a member of the Mysuru Lok Sabha, Sharma had entered the visitor's gallery.

Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde were the people held outside the parliament. Around 1:00 PM, the two trespassers leaped from the public gallery into the chamber. According to multiple MPs in the House, one was seen leaping over the seats, while the other was seen dangling from the gallery before jumping into the Chamber. A section of the Lok Sabha chamber was filled with yellow-colored smoke, so BJP member Rajendra Agrawal, who was presiding over the proceedings, postponed them till 2:00 pm.

There have been two arrests of intruders from within Parliament and two from outside. Their entire possessions have been taken.The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, stated when the House reconvened at 2:00 pm that "the entire matter is being investigated thoroughly." After a few members brought up the recent threat to attack Parliament, Birla responded, "What you are referring to, it is not that matter as per preliminary report."

Although the demonstrators' allegiance was first unknown, US-based terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a supporter of Khalistani extremism, had just published a video in which he threatened to attack Parliament on or before December 13. Later in the day, Birla convened a meeting of Members of Parliament representing all sides to discuss their concerns on the issue.

The two individuals within the Lok Sabha chamber were overcome by members, who declared, "One of them was saying I am a patriot and came here to protest." The intruders were beaten severely by numerous Lok Sabha members before being turned over to security. Ramprit Mandal, a member of the JD(U), claimed that the intruders sprayed yellow gas in the Lok Sabha chamber after concealing the gas canisters in their shoes. Standing close to the intruder, Mandal reported that Hanuman Beniwal, an RLP member, and other members subdued the intruder.

"One of the two was shouting, 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi,'" according to Mandal. "Abruptly, there was a disturbance within the House. One individual was observed leaping across benches. Anything could have occurred at that extremely anxious moment. What if he's carrying a bomb or firefighting supplies in his pocket, I wondered? The Trinamool Lok Sabha leader, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, stated, "It is a serious security lapse."

There was smoke, two people leaped from the public gallery, and everyone fled. Some Members of Parliament and security officers have apprehended them. Sagar is one among them. He was Prathap Simha's guest from Mysuru," claimed Danish Ali, a member of the Lok Sabha. It's a serious security flaw. The anniversary of the attack on Parliament is today. This needs further investigation, stated Ali.

Six people made up the incident's squad

Police officials claim that a gang consisting of six members was responsible for Wednesday's security breach. While two of them entered the Lok Sabha and two more protested outside the Parliament, four of them have been caught, the sixth member, who has not yet been named, and Lalit Jha, the fifth member, whose home in Gurugram the other five visited before carrying out the breach, are still at large.

Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla has called for a thorough investigation into the event while praising lawmakers, guards, chamber employees, and marshals for rising to the challenge and apprehending the offenders. "We are conducting a high-level investigation into this situation because it is concerning. The investigation's conclusions will determine the next line of action," he stated.

In the meantime, the Delhi Police said that neither of the two people detained outside the parliament building had any baggage nor identification with them. "According to the preliminary inquiry information in the case of the Parliament security breach, Neelam and Amol, who were apprehended outside the Parliament building on the premises, did not have cell phones with them. They had no identification documents or baggage with them. They insist that they came to Parliament on their own and that they have no affiliation with any group," an ANI-quoted police officer stated.

Congress requests clarification on HM Shah's remarks.

In response to the "serious security breach" in the Lok Sabha, the Congress has requested answers from the government and a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in both chambers of Parliament. The Congress further claims that the incident does not "prove that necessary precautions were not taken."

Later, in protest, the Congress left the upper house, asking that the home minister appear before the Rajya Sabha and make a statement. "INDIA parties walked out of the Rajya Sabha this afternoon on the issue of the extraordinary events in the Lok Sabha today and the refusal of the Home Minister to make a statement on the matter, especially after such a huge breach of security on the very same day Parliament was attacked 22 years ago," Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the AICC today.

The Congress posted a picture of BJP MP Pratap Simha and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the caption, "Infiltration in Parliament on the pass of BJP MP Pratap Simha," in what appears to be a jab at the PM.Party president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge stated in a post on X that the security breach in Parliament is a very serious problem. "We insist that the Home Minister appear before both Houses and make a statement regarding this. How two individuals managed to enter such a large security division and discharge gas from a canister there is the question, he said.

"On Martyr's Day today, we honored the courageous security guards who gave their lives in the attack on Parliament 22 years ago. We're hoping the administration will give this serious consideration. We insist on a comprehensive examination of the entire event. We always want the nation's integrity and unity," he stated.

K C Venugopal, general secretary of the AICC, has called for a comprehensive assessment of the security measures in Parliament. Particularly in light of the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attacks, the infiltration of the Lok Sabha is deeply concerning. I am relieved that nobody suffered any serious harm or injuries. "One of our nation's most secure structures is the Parliament. That kind of serious security breach is unacceptable. We need the Home Ministry to respond to our demands, and the security setup in the new Parliament building needs to be carefully examined," he wrote in a post on X.