India parliament security breach: Modi meets top ministers

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (14) met some top ministers to discuss the security breach that took place in the parliament building the day before. Both houses of the parliament, which is currently in session, were adjourned following the incident. The opposition also slammed the Modi government on the breach and sought a statement from home minister Amit Shah.

Four persons arrested in connection with the breach were charged with the stringent anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), besides sections of the Indian Penal Code. They were set to be produced in a court later in the day. Two more persons were also accused of aiding the four in the incident.

A video grab taken from the India TV channel shows an unidentified man jumping from the visitor's gallery of Lok Sabha, causing a scene using a colour smoke in the House during the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. (ANI Photo/India TV)

Two of the four -- Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan -- burst yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha or lower chamber of the parliament while Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde burst red and yellow canisters outside. Lalit Jha was accused of taking videos of the act outside while Vicky Sharma allegedly gave shelter to the accused at his residence in Gurugram in the northern state of Haryana.

Police investigation revealed that all the accused were linked to a social media platform Bhagat Singh Fan Club, sources told India's NDTV.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reassured the parliamentarians about their safety and said a thorough investigation will take place into the incident that took place on the 22nd anniversary of the terror attack in the parliament.