Parliament security breach case: Delhi Police hunt for cobbler in Lucknow

Delhi Police are looking for a cobbler in Lucknow who created a cavity in two pairs of shoes to hide smoke canisters which were smuggled into parliament in a major security breach on December 13.

A police team went to Lucknow this month in search of the “cyclist cobbler” but failed to trace him, informed source said, adding that Delhi Police had sought the help of their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow cobbler

Sagar Sharma had apparently first tried to modify the shoes himself but later approached the cobbler in Alambagh in Lucknow.

"The cavity was found created by cutting the inside sole of the left shoe. The thickness of the sole of shoes is also found increased by affixing additional rubber sole at the bottom to support the cavity. The inside sole of the right foot shoe was also found partly cut," according to the FIR.

The shoes were then worn by Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery on December 13 and released the smoke canisters, triggering panic.

Case witness

The police told PTI that they want to make the cobbler a witness in the case.

Besides releasing yellow smoke from the canisters, Sharma and Manoranjan shouted slogans before they were overpowered by some of the MPs.

Sagar Sharma told the police that he had found out that shoes were not checked during entry into parliament.

Scouting Lucknow

Police personnel from Delhi questioned several cobblers in Alambagh based on disclosures made by Sagar Sharma, the sources said.

The team recovered a pair of shoes, shoe soles and a ruler for measuring shoe size from Sagar Sharma's house in Ramnagar in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

A diary and some books on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh were also recovered from his house.

Bhagat Singh

Sagar Sharma's family told the investigators that he admires Bhagat Singh. His social media profile showed that he used to share content related to Bhagat Singh and Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara.

Earlier, police said the accused in the case wanted to replicate Bhagat Singh's act of throwing bombs inside the Central Assembly during British rule in India.

Humble family

Sagar Sharma worked as an e-rickshaw driver in Lucknow. His father Roshan Lal Sharma is a carpenter and his mother is a housewife.

Besides Sagar and Manoranjan, Delhi Police have arrested Neelam, Amol Shinde, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat.

(With agency inputs)