6 involved in Parliament smoke scare, security rules changed after breach

Two individuals named Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan deployed yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha, and two others - Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde - burst red and yellow canisters outside the Parliament. The fifth has been named as Lalit Jha, at whose Gurgaon home the other five stayed.

The sixth is Vicky Sharma, also from Gurgaon, and he has also been arrested.

Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan, who were seated in the Lok Sabha's visitors' gallery before launching this shocking disruption, were given entrance passes requested by BJP MP Pratap Sinha's office.

The incident happened when Zero Hour of the House was in progress.

The individuals involved reportedly pulled out the canisters from their shoes.

They moved from desk to desk and it seemed they were trying to head towards the Well of the House.

Members present inside the House told reporters as quoted by The Indian Express later that they (the protesters) were chanting slogans such as ‘tana shahi nahi chalegi‘ (dictatorship won’t be accepted).

Meanwhile, Neelam and 25-year-old Amol Shinde, were detained by local police outside New Delhi’s Transport Bhavan, where they were protesting with yellow smoke.

The proceedings in the lower house were adjourned soon after the incident till 2 PM.

It may be mentioned that the incident happened on the 22nd anniversary of the terror attack in Parliament in 2001.

Forensic teams collected samples of evidence for further probe into the security breach incident on Wednesday.

Interrogation of the four persons was underway to ascertain their motive behind the protest and why they chose to hold it in and outside parliament.

According to sources, the Delhi Police Special Cell and Crime branch, and Central probe agencies are investigating the matter.

Replying to the queries of media persons, an NDRF official said "Our technical team is working on this issue and investigating the exact nature of the yellow smoke.

After the scare, security protocols were revamped, including allotting separate entrances to MPs, staff members, and the press. Visitors, when allowed back, will enter from a fourth gate. The issue of visitor passes has been suspended.

In addition, the visitors' gallery will now be encased in glass to stop people from jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber. Body scan machines, similar to those in airports, will be installed in Parliament.

Reacting to the parliament security breach issue, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the security breach that took place in Parliament is a very serious matter. "We demand that the Home Minister Amit Shah should come to both the Houses and give a statement on this," Kharge said.

"The security breach that took place in Parliament today is a very serious matter. We demand that the Home Minister should come to both the Houses and give a statement on this. The question is, how did two people come inside such a big security department and release gas from a canister there?"
Kharge wrote on X

"Today itself, on Martyr's Day, we paid tribute to the brave security personnel who attacked the Parliament 22 years ago. We hope that the government will take this very seriously and we demand a thorough investigation into the entire incident," he wrote.

Demanding an urgent investigation into the security breach in Parliament, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the security of the temple of democracy cannot be compromised.

"Today's breach in Parliament, on the solemn anniversary of 2001 attack, is an affront to our democratic values. The security of our temple of democracy cannot be compromised. An urgent investigation is vital to uncover who the attackers were, how they get in, what were their motive. Action must be swift and strict," Kejriwal said.