Speaker meets floor leaders after Parliament security breach: Concerned, but members shouldn’t worry about safety

Sources said the Lok Sabha Secretariat has written to the Home Ministry to take out a high-level inquiry into the incident. He also sought a review of the security system and the arrangements in the new Parliament House building. Sources pointed out that the Parliament security personnel are not trained to secure and it is done by the Delhi Police. “The parliament security also does identification of the visitors or those who are entering the premises and the building. So, we have asked the Delhi Police to do more about it,” said the source in the Lok Sabha secretariat.

The Speaker told the leaders that a thorough investigation is underway regarding the security lapse. “In the primary investigation, it has been found that there is no need to worry about the smoke,” he is learnt to have told the leaders. “Both of them [intruders] have been nabbed and the materials with them have also been seized. The two people outside the Parliament have also been arrested by police,” he added.

Many suggestions, including one to put a glass in front of visitors’ galleries are on the table, sources said.

In the old Parliament building, security staff used to usher visitors out from the gallery near the deadline of their stay but their deployment has been nearly absent in the galleries of the new building as they have been busy with duties at different places amid changing security needs and requirements of the new place, the sources said.

In the meeting, the opposition MPs sought action against BJP MP Pratap Simha who felicitated the visitors’ passes for the intruders.

In the meeting, a TMC MP asked if the ruling party would suspend Simha like the BJP initiated steps to expel Mahua Moitra citing national security for sharing her Lok Sabha portal login ID. RSP’s N K Premachandran pointed out that when Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had threatened to attack Indian Parliament before December 13, the MPs were assured that necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of the building and the members. He said the government should give an explanation on why it has happened despite such an assurance, sources said.

Earlier, when the House reassembled at 2pm after the breach, Birla informed the House about the incident.

“This a serious incident. Therefore, a high-level probe is being conducted. A detailed review of the existing security arrangements inside the Parliament House will also be taken up… it will be made foolproof,” Birla said. “As far as our concerns about the nature of the smoke are concerned, in our preliminary probe, it has come to our notice that the smoke was harmless,” he said.

In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition demanded an explanation from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach and sought to adjourn the proceedings. Dhankhar said there was no need to monetise every issue politically. “It is a security issue,” he said. Some Opposition members later walked out in protest.

– with ENS, new Delhi