Coordinated Assault on Parliament: Intruders' Audacious Breach and Alleged Conspiracy Unveiled in Delhi Court

In a court proceeding held on Thursday, the Delhi Police disclosed that the extensive security breach witnessed in Lok Sabha on December 13 was characterized as a meticulously planned assault on Parliament, orchestrated with the explicit intent of instilling fear. The four individuals implicated in this incident, namely Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Shinde, and Neelam Devi, were presented before the special judge for NIA cases, Hardeep Kaur. The Delhi Police, seeking a 15-day custodial interrogation, charged them under the anti-terror law UAPA in addition to various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Despite the police's plea, the court decided to remand them to a 7-day police custody. Within the court premises, the police accused the quartet of engaging in an act of terrorism, emphasizing their alleged endeavor to evoke fear. Notably, the police revealed that the accused had commissioned specialized shoes from Lucknow, designed to conceal smoke canisters employed in the attack. Furthermore, it was asserted in court that the accused distributed a pamphlet depicting Prime Minister Modi as a missing person, offering a reward to anyone who could locate him, as reported by Bar & Bench.

Quoting the police, "Their right was limited to the gallery. They jumped from the (visitors) gallery into the Well, which was trespass. They hid (smoke) canister in their shoes." The police insisted on a comprehensive investigation into the creation of these specialized shoes in Lucknow, advocating for the accused to be taken to Mumbai, Mysore, and Lucknow for further scrutiny. The prosecution contended that custodial interrogation was imperative to discern the true motive behind the incident and to ascertain potential involvement of other individuals.

Addressing the accused's lack of legal representation, the court appointed a legal aid counsel to advocate on their behalf. The unsettling event unfolded on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, wherein two intruders, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, breached the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery. They unleashed yellow-colored smoke from canisters and vocalized slogans, prompting intervention from MPs who subdued and handed them over to the watch and ward staff.

Simultaneously, Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad, two other accused, released colored gas from canisters while proclaiming "tanashahi nahi chalegi" (dictatorship will not prevail) outside the Parliament premises. The prompt response resulted in the immediate apprehension of the four individuals, while their associate Vishal, in whose residence they had lodged prior to the incident, was detained later in Gurugram. The alleged mastermind, Lalit Jha, the sixth accused, remains at large.