Parliament security breach: Option 2 was setting self on fire, says accused

An increased number of security personnel guard the Parliament during the ongoing winter session after the security breach in Delhi. Pic/PTI

The sixth accused arrested in the December 13 Parliament security breach case have revealed that they explored self-immolation and distribution of pamphlets before settling on the plan to jump into the Lok Sabha's chamber with smoke canisters, Delhi Police officials said on Saturday.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell, which is investigating the case, also plans to record the statement of BJP MP Pratap Simha, who had authorised the visitor passes for the two men who breached security to enter the House.

Two men - Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D - had jumped into the Lok Sabha's chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans, before being overpowered by the MPs.

Police personnel check identification card of a commuter near the Parliament House. File Pic/PTI

Around the same time, two others - Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi - released coloured smoke from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahin chalegi" outside the Parliament premises. Lalit Jha, one of the accused, allegedly circulated videos of the protest outside the complex on social media.

"Before finalising this plan [to jump into the Lok Sabha chamber], they [accused] had explored certain ways that could be impactful in sending their message to the government," a Delhi Police official aware of the investigations told the media. They first explored immolating themselves by covering their bodies with fireproof gel but dropped this idea.

They also considered distributing pamphlets inside the Parliament but finally went ahead with the plan they executed on Wednesday, the official said. A team of the Special Cell's Counter Intelligence team has also planned to record the statement of Simha, the BJP's MP from Mysore, in connection with the case, the official added.

Late on Friday, the investigators took the accused to various places where they met and conspired on the breach. The police are likely to seek Parliament's permission to recreate the breach that occurred on the anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Delhi Police seeks 15-day custody of accused Mahesh Kumawat from the court after his arrest on Saturday afternoon. Kumawat is alleged to have helped Jha escape.

The police will soon take Jha to Nagaur in Rajasthan where he stayed after fleeing on Wednesday. He will be taken to the place where he claimed to have destroyed his and the others mobile phones, another official said. All six arrested accused have been sent to seven days' police custody.

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