A Delhi court has decided to extend the police custody of Lalit Jha, suspected to be the mastermind behind the Parliament security breach, until January 5. Alongside Jha, four other accused individuals—Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D., Neelam Azad, and Amol Shinde—also had their custody extended till the same date. These individuals were arrested directly from the Parliament premises.
The incident occurred on December 13, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, where five people were involved in orchestrating the security breach within the Lok Sabha.
Following the event, Jha, originally from Bihar, surrendered to the Kartavya Path police station in New Delhi the following night. The police sought an extension of his custody to delve deeper into the conspiracy and motives behind the breach.
The accused are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. The prosecution has labeled them as terrorists, alleging a premeditated attack to spread fear and provoke alarm within Parliament.
The police emphasized the accused's unauthorized entry into the Lok Sabha chamber by jumping from the visitors' gallery, considering it trespassing. Additionally, they highlighted the concealment of canisters in their shoes and stressed the necessity of custody to uncover their motives and identify any accomplices.
Details emerged regarding specialized shoes made in Lucknow and the need to investigate links in Mumbai, Mysore, and Lucknow, suggesting a deeper probe into the accused's activities. Further, the accused reportedly carried pamphlets labeling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'missing' and offering a reward from Swiss Bank to whoever located him.
During the breach, two individuals—Sagar and Manoranjan—released yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha chamber before being subdued by present MPs. Neelam and Amol performed similar actions outside the Parliament premises. Allegedly, Jha, seen as the mastermind, absconded with the mobile phones of the other four accused following the incident.
The accused hail from diverse regions—Manoranjan from Mysuru, Sagar from Lucknow, Neelam from Haryana's Jind, and Amol from Maharashtra's Latur. The investigations continue to delve into the motive and intricacies behind this concerning security breach.
(With Agency Inputs)
