In a major security lapse in the Parliament, two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery while two others protested outside the building carrying cans emitting smoke on Wednesday. The incident that took place on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack triggered panic in the lower house. All four people have been arrested by police and are presently being questioned.
The four persons had canisters in their hands that was emitting a yellow smoke and were also shouting slogans. They were immediately overpowered by security officials and members. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Anupriya Patel were present in the Lok Sabha at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, security has been stepped up in the area following the incident.
The two people who were protesting outside the Parliament premises using colour smoke canisters have been identified as Neelam, aged 42, and Amol Shinde (25). While the woman hails from Hisar district in Haryana, the man is a resident of Maharashtra’s Latur district. The two were detained by police in front of Transport Bhawan. One of the two persons who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber has been identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranhan D (35), a resident of Karnataka’s Mysuru. The two persons who jumped inside the Lok Sabha were allegedly issued passes by the office of BJP MP Pratap Simha.