Police told the court that Jha was the mastermind of the entire incident and needed to be quizzed to unearth the entire conspiracy.
Published Dec 22, 2023 | 6:37 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 22, 2023 | 6:37 PM
Chaos ensued as two persons jump into Lok Sabha. (Dr Senthilkumar S / X)
A Delhi court, on Friday, 22 December, extended till 5 January the custodial interrogation of an accused in the Parliament Security Breach case.
Special Judge Hardeep Kaur extended the custody of Lalit Jha on an application moved by Delhi Police.
Police told the court that Jha was the mastermind of the entire incident and needed to be quizzed to unearth the entire conspiracy.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, on Friday, said the statement of BJP Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha has been recorded as part of the probe in the Parliament Security Breach case.
Addressing a press conference, Joshi said an investigation is going on into the 13 December security breach, and the law will take its course after the report is submitted.
The protesters who had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber on 13 December and set off smoke canisters had entered Parliament on passes issued on the recommendation of Simha’s office.
Simha is a two-term Lok Sabha member from Mysuru.
The court had, on Thursday, extended the custody of four other accused — Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde and Neelam Devi — till 5 January.
Official sources said on Thursday said the Delhi police have taken into custody a youth from Bagalkote, Karnataka, and questioned another man from Mysuru in connection with the 13 December security breach in Parliament.
A special cell police team had picked up a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police’s son from Karnataka’s Bagalkot district on Wednesday night.
The detained person — Saikrishna Jagali — is a software engineer by profession and was working in his house when the Delhi police knocked on the doors. Saikrishna was working as a techie, developing apps for a multinational company in Bengaluru, but he had quit his job and was developing apps independently.
Another friend of Manoranjan’s from Mysuru was also questioned by the Delhi police on Thursday, sources said.
They added that the person who was questioned runs a salon in Mysuru and had financial dealings with Manoranjan.
He was picked up around 10 pm from his house in Vidyagiri in the district headquarters town of Bagalkote. He is said to be one of the three roommates and a batchmate of Manoranjan while pursuing an Engineering degree in Bengaluru.
Saikrishna’s sister, Spandana, informed reporters that Delhi police visited their town two days ago and arrived at their house on Wednesday night, questioning him. She stated that they took him for additional inquiries in the Manoranjan-involved Parliamentary Security Breach case.
Spandana emphasised that her brother had not committed any mistake and that the police took him only for questioning. According to her, police officials from Delhi had come two days ago, informing them about the need for further questioning.
Simultaneously, another man connected to the case, identified as Atul Kulshreshtha, was picked up from the Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh by Delhi police. Preliminary investigations revealed that Atul alias Baccha had no past criminal records or political affiliation, but he was passionate about Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s ideologies since his student life.
According to police, the two men are suspected to be a part of the now-deleted Facebook page “Bhagat Singh Fan Club”, which was created by Manoranjan before the security breach incident, said sources.
On 13 December, two people — Sagar Sharma and Karnataka man Manoranjan D — jumped into the well of the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, shouted slogans like “Tanashahi nahi chalegi” (Dictatorship will not allowed), and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House.
The accused visitors at the gallery, who obtained passes from BJP MP Pratap Simha from Karnataka, committed the offence supposedly to register their protest against the government.
Outside the Parliament, Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad released smoke cannisters and raised slogans. They were arrested as well. Later, Lalit Jha, the mastermind in the case, and his associate Mahesh Kumawat were also arrested.
The accused told the police that their objective was to protest to garner attention to the Manipur fallout, unemployment issue, and farmers’ crisis in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
