On Thursday, the accused mastermind of an attack on the Indian Parliament surrendered to authorities in New Delhi. According to sources, Lalit Jha told investigators that he filmed his accomplices releasing smoke on the premises on Wednesday and forwarded the footage to an associate in Kolkata before fleeing the scene.
Jha, a teacher from Kolkata, has been sent to the Delhi Police Special Cell for further questioning. He is said to be involved with multiple NGOs in the West Bengal state and has been described as a “quiet man” and a “social activist” in various media sources. The alleged mastermind was taken into police custody for seven days by the Patiala House Court in Delhi on Friday evening.
On Wednesday, two of Jha’s alleged accomplices stormed the parliament with smoke canisters, while another two remained outside and released yellow smoke. The four suspected infiltrators – Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan inside parliament, and Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde outside the building – have been charged with terrorism under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and have been remanded in police custody for a week.
The incident occurred on the anniversary of the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, which murdered six police officers, two parliamentary security workers, and a gardener, as well as five terrorists. According to the Hindustan Times, the suspects in last week’s attack were linked through a social media group named ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club,’ and had met in Mysuru, Karnataka’s southernmost city, roughly 18 months ago. Bhagat Singh was an Indian rebel who was hanged in 1931 for assassinating a British colonial government officer.
The Delhi Police claimed custody of the quartet in court, saying the gang had distributed posters on social media describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “missing person” and “proclaimed offender.”
The men entered the parliament as “guest visitors” using a letter issued by the office of Prathap Simha, an MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In response to the opposition’s calls for an investigation, Simha said he had been entirely unaware of the men’s plans when his office issued the passes.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat, which is in charge of security, suspended eight security staff in the aftermath of the event. Parliament Speaker Om Birla announced a high-level investigation while stating that the smoke from the canisters was “harmless” and “not a cause for concern.”
The breach, which a police source described as “well-planned,” occurred on the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the parliament on December 13, 2001. According to sources, the suspects shared a same “ideology” and wanted to bring public attention to their actions.
During questioning, the accused stated that they were “upset” over matters like as the farmers’ strike, ethnic violence in Manipur state, and unemployment. Farmers in India started a large protest against three agriculture legislation passed by the parliament in 2020-21. They eventually called off their strike after the federal government accepted the majority of their requests in a letter.
The violence in Manipur is an ethnic clash between the state’s two largest communities, the Kukis and Meiteis, which has killed hundreds and displaced thousands.
