Parliament security breach: Accused part of ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’, first met 18 months ago

The shocking Parliament security breach by two persons on Wednesday (December 13), the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, seems to have been the result of planning over a period of 18 months, according to a report.

The group of six accused, five men and one woman, hail from different states in India, but seem to have a common link – a social media page called the “Bhagat Singh Fan Club”, according to initial investigations by the police, a report on NDTV said.

Two of the accused, Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan, managed to obtain visitors’ passes through a BJP MP from Mysuru, Prathap Simha, in whose constituency Manoranjan resides. Both of them jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the chamber of the Lok Sabha at about 1 pm during the Zero Hour. They carried canisters with them which ejected yellow smoke. Sharma jumped over desks in an attempt to reach the Speaker’s chair, but was caught by several MPs.

In the meantime, outside Parliament, two more persons from the group, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, sprayed yellow and red smoke from canisters, while shouting slogans in Hindi against “dictatorship”. They were both arrested by the police.

The fifth person is Lalit Jha, who reportedly shot videos of Neelam and Amol protesting outside Parliament and uploaded them on Instagram. He has absconded, carrying the cell phones of the others with him. The police are yet to nab him.

The sixth person is Vishal Sharma, in whose rented house all the accused stayed before they carried out their protest.

The six accused hail from all across the country, with Sagar Sharma from Lucknow, Manoranjan from Mysuru, Neelam a resident of Jind in Haryana, Amol Shinde from Maharashtra, Lalit Jha from Bihar, and Vishal Sharma from Gurugram.

Protest triggered by various issues

The police say that during the interrogation, Amol told them that they carried out this act because they were upset with issues like the farmers’ protest, the Manipur crisis, and unemployment in the country. They wanted to give a message to the government. The police are trying to ascertain whether they were given instructions by anyone or by any organisation.

While being taken away by police personnel, Neelam told reporters, "The Indian government is subjecting us to oppression. When we raise our voices for our rights, we are beaten and thrown in jail. We are subjected to undue force. We do not belong to any organisation. We are students and we are unemployed. Our parents work as labourers and farmers, and some are small shopkeepers. An attempt is being made to suppress our voices. Dictatorship will not work," she said.

Neelam, who is in her late 30s, told the police that she was studying for competitive exams. She has done MA, B.Ed, M.Ed, CTET, and M.Phil, and has cleared NET.

Amol, a resident of Maharashtra's Latur, is a graduate but unemployed. He worked as a helper of a plumber but later quit the job. An official said Vishal Sharma earlier worked as a driver in an export company but of late he drove an autorickshaw. His neighbours claimed that he was a drunkard and often quarrelled with his wife.

First meeting in Mysuru

As per the Delhi Police investigation till now, the accused first met about 18 months ago, in 2022, in Mysuru, when they discussed various ways of highlighting issues which they felt Parliament should discuss. They then had another meeting in March this year, when they fleshed out the plan. This meeting took place near the Chandigarh airport during the farmers’ protest.

In July this year, Sagar Sharma went to Delhi from Lucknow to do a reconnaissance of the Parliament complex. He could not get access, but he made observations from outside and took down notes about the security arrangements, which he shared with the others.

They decided to carry out their protest on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack. On Wednesday, the day when they breached the Parliament, they gathered at India Gate, and Amol Shinde distributed the canisters to the rest of the group.

Security concerns

Several MPs have questioned how the intruders managed to get into Parliament on a day when the security was stringent, since it was the anniversary of the 2001 attack. The security agencies were also extra alert because of the threat by the Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to attack the Parliament on or before December 13. The police have however not established any link between Pannun’s threat and what happened yesterday.

The arrested persons have been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) as well as other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

(With agency inputs)