Parliament Security Breach: Five Arrested So Far; Complex Closed For Visitors, Body Scanners To Be Installed

The Parliament complex was shut down to the public after a significant security violation occurred on Wednesday afternoon in which two men jumped from the visitor's gallery in the Lok Sabha and popped yellow smoke canisters.

One of the two persons attempted to approach the Speaker's chair.

Additionally, two more people, a male and a female, released smoke from cans outside the Parliament building.

Following the security breach, there was a complete overhaul of security procedures, which now include designated entrances for Members of Parliament, staff members, and journalists.

When visitors are permitted to return, they will have to use a fourth gate. The issuance of visitor passes has been temporarily put on hold.

Furthermore, the viewing area for visitors will now be encased in glass to prevent people from leaping into the Lok Sabha chamber. Body scanning devices, akin to those found at airports, will be set up in Parliament.

Finally, there has been an increase in the number of security staff within the House.

The two men involved in the incident inside the Lok Sabha have been identified as Sagar Sharma of Lucknow and D Manoranjan of Mysuru, both of whom were subdued and beaten by MPs.

In addition, Amol Shinde of Latur in Maharashtra and Neelam Devi of Hisar in Haryana released smoke canisters outside the Parliament building.

All four have been taken into custody, with the anti-terror cell of the Delhi Police spearheading the investigation.

NDTV reported citing police sources that two more people are involved in this conspiracy.

Lalit Jha, identified as the fifth person, hosted the other five at his residence in Gurgaon prior to the Parliament incident.

Jha, along with a sixth person named Vishal, who is likely to be a Gurgaon resident, were on the run.

According to the reports, Vishal has been arrested from Gurgaon.

The Anti-Terror Cell of the Delhi Police will interrogate the five individuals who have been apprehended.

Visitor passes for Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan were issued upon a request by the office of BJP MP Prathap Simha, the lawmaker from Mysuru.

However, Karti Chidambaram of Congress informed NDTV that such requests are common and the Parliament is responsible for issuing these passes.

Simha has reportedly said that he plans to meet with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today to clarify his stance.

The security process in use at old Parliament underwent a significant overhaul after the terror attack on in 2001, which was carried out by two Pakistan-based terror groups that resulted in the death of nine people, including eight staff members.

The existing three-tier system was upgraded to a four-tier system.

Until this afternoon, the established procedures required visitors to be frisked and their possessions checked in. Items including phones, bags, pens, water bottles, and coins were prohibited, and visitors were required to present their Aadhaar cards. Only after this process were they provided with passes to gain access to the Parliament building.

Issue of passes also involves mandatory background checks. Prospective visitors must show a letter of recommendation signed by a MP.

According to the reports, the two men who were inside Parliament hid the smoke canisters inside their shoes.