Lalit Mohan Jha, a key accused in the Parliament security breach incident who is allegedly the mastermind behind the Lok Sabha security breach, was arrested on Thursday after surrendering to the police.
Lalit, accompanied by another man, reached the Kartavya Path Police station, where he was handed over to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
Four individuals have been charged with terrorism under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for the major security breach, during which two of them -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber and set off smoke canisters, while the other two -- Neelam Devi and Anmol Shinde -- protested outside.
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According to police sources, no mobile phone was recovered from Lalit, and it is believed that he might have destroyed all four phones of the other accused in Rajasthan. After the Lok Sabha breach, Lalit went to Kuchaman, where he met his friend Mahesh, who arranged a room for Lalit to spend the night.
The police filed terrorism charges under the stringent UAPA against four individuals—Sagar Sharma (26), Manoranjan D (34), Amol Shinde (25), and Neelam Devi (37). The charges include punishment for a terrorist act (Section 16), punishment for conspiracy (Section 18), criminal conspiracy (IPC 120B), trespass (452), wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot (153), obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions (186), and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty (353).
Vishal Sharma alias Vickey, in whose house the accused stayed in Gurugram before reaching Parliament, is still under detention.
After the initial interrogation of the four accused, who had been sent to 7-day custody, the police stated, "It was a well-planned attack on Parliament." The police also mentioned that the accused had apparently made preparations to deal with the police interrogation. "It seems that they had already made preparations regarding what to answer when the police interrogate them upon their capture," they said.
On the motive behind the attack, police sources said the accused had "the same ideology" and "wanted to give a message to the government" and commit an act which could draw the country's attention. During interrogation they told investigators they were upset with issues like the farmers' protest, ethnic conflict in Manipur and unemployment and that was why they carried out the act. All six joined a Bhagat Singh fan page on Facebook after coming in touch with each other on social media.
Police said names of two organisations have also emerged in the investigations and their roles are being examined. However, the investigation team has not found any connection with terror groups so far.
Both houses of Parliament saw an uproar by opposition parties demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue. A total of 14 opposition MPs, including one from the Rajya Sabha, were suspended for disrupting the proceedings. The suspended lawmakers include Manickam Tagore, Kanimozhi, PR Natrajan, VK Sreekandan, Benny Bahanan, K Subramanyam, S Venkatesan, and Mohammad Jawed from the Lok Sabha, and Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien from the Rajya Sabha.
According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a meeting with some ministers in the Parliament complex, advised his ministerial colleagues to not engage in any political squabbling with opposition leaders over the matter. PM Modi stressed on the sensitivity of the issue and reportedly expressing confidence that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will take appropriate corrective measures.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat, on Thursday, suspended eight security personnel over the massive security lapse. These personnel were stationed at critical access points, including the entry gate and the Parliament House entry area, when the incident occurred.
Soon after the security breach, Speaker Om Birla had ordered a high-level enquiry into the incident. The Delhi Police have also constituted a special cell to probe the matter. The speaker had also held a meeting with floor leaders and the security measures of the Parliament house have been beefed up.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Pratap Simha, on whose authorisation passes were issued to two persons who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber, denied having any previous knowledge about the accused. He said the passes were issued after one of the accused's fathers, residing in his constituency Mysuru, approached him repeatedly for it. The opposition demanded strict action against the MP.
