Parliament security breach: ‘Nobody can stop us from functioning,’ says Lok Sabha Speaker
In a major security lapse, two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery while the House was in session. He assured the parliamentarians that the functioning of the House can't be stopped ever.
In a major security breach on the 22nd anniversary of Parliament terror attack, two intruders jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour and released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.
Lok Sabha Speaker Birla assured the parliamentarians that the functioning of the House can't be stopped ever. He said, "The incident that happened during Zero House, which is being investigated by the Lok Sabha and Delhi Police has been given requisite directions regarding the same. However, the smoke, which was the reason of our worry, it has been found in preliminary investigation that it's not a matter of concern."
"As per the preliminary investigation, suspects have been held and all their belongings have been seized. The two suspects, who were outside, have also been arrested," he added.
Birla informed the House that four persons have been arrested - two from inside the House, and two from outside Parliament in connection with the incident. He said that it appeared as though the smoke emitted by the invaders was sprayed to generate sensationalism and that it looked innocuous in the first investigation. Later in the day, Speaker Birla convened a meeting of Members, promising to resolve any issues.
Meanwhile, an anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police has arrived at the Parliament to question the intruders. The incident, which took place on 22nd anniversary of Parliament attack, has raised several eyebrows as such a lapse shouldn’t have happened in the first place, given the three-tier security at Parliament. On December 13, 2001, terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed outfits attacked the Parliament complex, killing nine people