The Lok Sabha witnessed chaos on Wednesday as two individuals breached security and entered the House from the public gallery, releasing what appeared to be tear gas canisters. The incident occurred during Zero Hour, causing panic and confusion among members of Parliament.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the “persons were carrying tear gas canisters.” He called it “a serious breach of security”, especially on the 21st anniversary of the Parliament attack.” The intruders, identified as Sagar Sharma and an accomplice, created mayhem by leaping over benches and spraying a tear gas substance.
According to PTI sources, the pass for one of the intruders was reportedly sponsored by BJP MP Pratap Simha from Mysore.
BSP MP Danish Ali raised questions about the security lapse, demanding an investigation into how the duo managed to enter the premises and who recommended the pass for them.
Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant provided additional details, saying, “The MPs caught hold of one of them while the other went around jumping on the benches. He opened his shoes to take out the canister which emitted yellow smoke.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla assured that the incident is under investigation by both the Lok Sabha and Delhi Police. Birla stated, “The smoke, which was the reason for our worry, has been found in preliminary investigation not to be a matter of concern.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Police detained two protesters, a man, and a woman, identified as Neelam, 42, from Hissar and Amol Shinde, 25, from Latur, outside Transport Bhawan. DCP Pranav Tayal said that the incident occurred on the road outside Parliament, not inside the House.
In a social media post, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi raised serious questions about the security of the new Parliament building, stating, “Saw two young men unleash foul-smelling yellow-colored gas from canisters inside the Parliament gallery. MPs rushed to grab these men. This raises serious questions on another aspect of the new Parliament building: security.”
