The scope of the investigation into Wednesday’s security breach at Parliament will be widened as the ideology of the intruders alone could not have instigated them to jump into the chamber of the Lok Sabha with canisters of yellow gas, top intelligence sources told News18.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons — Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D — jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.
Around the same time, two other — Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi — sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting “tanashahi nahi chalegi” outside Parliament premises.
According to sources privy to the investigation, the quartet were aware of the repercussions of such a display of protest in Parliament. “There is someone who motivated them to go to this extent and this person is never seen in the picture. Lalit Mohan Jha is alleged to be the mastermind behind the plan, but he also possibly did all this on behalf of someone else,” a source said.
Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi have been charged under the anti-terror law UAPA besides sections of the Indian Penal Code, while Lalit Mohan Jha was arrested on Thursday evening.
On Wednesday, Lalit came with the other four to Parliament. When they managed to get only two passes for the visitors’ gallery in the Lok Sabha, Lalit decided to take the mobile phones of all four with him.
During interrogation, it was allegedly revealed by the four accused that they wanted to enact revolutionary Bhagat Singh’s action of throwing bombs inside the Central Assembly during British rule in India.
The case was registered against the four — Sagar Sharma (26), Manoranjan D (34), Amol Shinde (25) and Neelam Devi (37) — under UAPA sections 16 (punishment for terrorist act) and 18 (punishment for conspiracy, etc.) and IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespass), 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) at the Parliament Street police station.
Offences punishable under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are non-bailable. Officials said the security agencies have not found connections with any terror group so far.
The four arrested on Wednesday were associated with a social media page named ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’.
“Meeting on the Facebook page and reaching the conclusion to attack is really serious. It’s correct that they wanted publicity, but there is some invisible hand who guided them,” an official said.