Parliament Security Breach: Who are the four accused?
Visitors have been barred from entering the building since Wednesday afternoon, and no large groups of people will be allowed to congregate outside the Makar Dwar. A glass wall outside the visitors’ gallery in the Parliament building, the first of its kind in India, as well as full body scanners and an immediate entry ban, and the sanitizing of the main entrance or Maker Dwar, the new building’s main gate, are just a few of the measures being considered as part of a new security protocol designed to plug the gaps revealed by Wednesday’s shocking attack on the Lok Sabha.
Parliament Security Breach
The entry of visitors has been suspended as of Wednesday afternoon and no mob will be allowed to congregate outside the Makar dwar which is used by Members to enter the House as of Thursday, a senior official who has been apprised of the developments, said. “More measures will be taken after the home ministry and the Lok Sabha secretariat complete the security review,” he added. The lockdown came hours after two unidentified men breached Parliament’s three-layered security and triggered yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha before being overpowered by members of the House. The two men were seen descending from the visitors’ gallery to the floor of the House.
At the 4 pm all-party meeting, which was convened by Speaker Om Birla, several Opposition members called for an in-depth investigation into the breach, asked questions about the new building’s security arrangements, and demanded action against BJP MP Pratap Singh Simha whose office allowed the two intruders to enter the Parliament complex. However, some members objected to the move to prohibit entry of all visitors to the Parliament complex but supported other measures, such as the possible installation of a glass barrier in a public gallery. The TMC said that if former LMEer Mahua could be expelled for providing login credentials, then Simha should also be punished as his recommendation letter put the lives of Members at risk.
Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury said it was a serious security breach and the Delhi police, who had sent personnel to provide security during the sitting, had failed to do their duty. Another Opposition MP said the Delhi Police, who deployed personnel during the sitting, came under the Union Home Ministry. They asked for a detailed debate on the security breach and a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Some called for full-body scanners to be installed in Parliament, similar to what is done at airports, while others pointed out the crowded lobbies in front of Parliament’s sitting rooms. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RS) member NK Premachandran asked if the smoke from the canister used by an accused was yellow, which is the color associated with separatists.