Parliament security breach | Accused met on Facebook, plan hatched in Jan, one did a recce in monsoon session: Police

Police sources said Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, and Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde, who opened smoke canisters outside Parliament, had arrived separately in the capital over the last few days, and it was Jha who allegedly took them to “the house of his friend, Vicky, in Gurgaon”.

Following the security breach, Jha posted a video clip of the protest outside Parliament, showing Azad and Shinde releasing coloured smoke from the canisters.

From left: Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Amol Shinde, Neelam Azad

According to police sources, the accused started planning the security breach in January, and Manoranjan even carried out a recce as he visited the Parliament complex during the Monsoon Session.

“During questioning, they claimed that they were not happy with the working style of the current government and wanted to send a message to the country related to Manipur, the farmers’ protest and inflation,” said a source, citing their initial interrogation report.

“They claimed that they wanted to send a message just like their idol, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, and decided to go to Parliament,” said the source.

MPs can be seen inside the House where a man released a yellow smoke from a canister. (Image credit Opposition MP)

“A few days ago, Manoranjan coordinated with the personal staff of Member of Parliament Pratap Simha, who is his local MP, and sought a visitor’s pass for December 14. The official staff called him on Tuesday, asking him to pick up his pass which was made for December 13 instead. This morning, they left Vicky’s house in a radio taxi and reached Parliament,” said sources.

After reaching Parliament, Manoranjan and Sharma went inside, while Jha, Azad and Shinde waited outside, said sources. “The accused have been taken to Parliament Street police station, where they have been questioned by officers of Intelligence agencies as well as Delhi Police. Legal opinion has been sought before registering an FIR against them,” said sources.

Social media activity

In his last post on Instagram, about 15-16 hours before he breached Parliament security, Sharma said: “Jeete ya hare, par koshish toh zaroori hai. Ab dekhna yeh hai, safar kitna haseen hoga… Umeed hai phir milenge (Whether we win or lose, it is important to try. Now, we need to see how beautiful the journey is… Hope to meet again).”

Sharma, from Lucknow, calls himself a writer, poet and philosopher on his social media profile. His Instagram bio says he’s an “artist” too. Besides his sketches, his account has reels of his travels around Maharashtra and videos of Shiva, Krishna and other deities.

Azad, who’s active on Facebook, has posted several photos of her attending political rallies as well as photos of Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar. She has also posted photos from Jantar Mantar and other protest sites in North India, where she can be seen sitting with farmers. The posts are from the farmer protests in 2020-21.

In his last post on Instagram, Shinde posted a video of himself standing in front of Mumbai’s CST station. He has also posted videos and photos of him running, boxing and winning medals in sports.

Jha’s Instagram account has photos and quotes of Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Bagha Jatin, Subhash Chandra Bose and Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

 — with inputs from Jignasa Sinha, New Delhi

⚡ Best of Express: Read our full coverage of the Parliament security breach

👉🏽 On the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, a massive security breach took place in Lok Sabha, when two intruders leapt into the chamber from the visitors gallery and opened smoke cans. Meanwhile, outside the Parliament, two others were arrested for protesting with coloured smoke.

👉🏽 But how did they manage to dodge layers of security inside the Parliament House? We explain. 

👉🏽 Since the incident, the entry of visitors in the House has now been suspended. As one would expect, jumping into the chamber of the House is not permitted under the Rules of the House. What do the rules say? Read our report. 

👉🏽 Turns out, just a day before the security breach, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) floated a tender for additional security infrastructure, including gadgets and bulletproof barriers, for the Parliament complex. We break down the CPWD’s proposed project.

👉🏽 “I was at a vantage point, right outside the chamber from where more MPs rushed out – some anxious, the others agitated.” The Indian Express’ Deputy Editor Liz Mathew witnessed Wednesday’s intrusion from the media gallery of the Parliament. She recounts what happened.