Explained: Parliament visitor passes; who issues them and how?

The methods of procuring Parliament visitor passes include paper applications and through the Sansad website. Each pass is tagged with a unique ID and stringent measures are in place during sessions to maintain security and protocol. Writes ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:Wednesday's security breach at the most fortified place in the country, the Parliament, pushed the security establishment to the corner. The incident has raised questions about the existing security structure as well as the mechanism of issuing visitor passes by the MPs.

As per the procedure, especially in the new Parliament building, visitors need to avail of passes issued by the Parliament secretariat following approval only from an MP. In Wednesday's case, BJP MP Pratap Simha, came under scanner as the intruders (later identified as Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan) who entered Lok Sabha with smoke canisters had got the visitor pass under his name. Normally, one MP can issue visitor passes for two people in a single day.

"In the new Parliament, only an MP can issue a visitor pass. However, for visiting the old Parliament building, people can apply through the Sansad website and that is also when the House is not in session," an official said, adding, "visitors making their entry through the digital Sansad website can't visit the gallery." The methods of procuring visitor pass include paper applications and the digital Sansad website.

Each pass is assigned a unique ID and stringent measures are put in place during sessions to maintain security and protocol. However, the Lok Sabha secretariat and the Rajya Sabha secretariat can also issue institutional passes for a certain number of people who want to visit Parliament. "While issuing institutional passes, proper scrutiny is being made by the security agencies," the official said.

Following Wednesday's incident, the issuing of passes even for the Personal Assistants of ministers and MPs has been stopped. In a high-level meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, an order was issued to cancel the entry passes issued to former MPs and personal assistants of MPs into Parliament. Sources said that six people were involved in the conspiracy behind Wednesday's security breach in Parliament.

Two men caused chaos inside the premises, while two others created disturbances outside. Two suspects are currently on the run, sources said. The two accused who were detained from inside Parliament entered with canisters. Both the accused, Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma were seated in the visitors’ gallery when they took out canisters from their shoes and jumped towards the desk where Members of Parliament were seated during the session.

Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia who was sitting in his designated chair got injured when one of the accused jumped. The breach happened on the same day when Parliament was attacked by terrorists on December 13, 2001.

The overall arrangements for the Parliament security are entrusted to the Joint Secretary (Security), who monitors entire operations involving Parliament Security Services, Delhi Police, Parliament Duty Group, and various allied security agencies. The entire Parliament complex comes under a three-layer security arrangement including CRPF, NDRF and Delhi police who remain on their toes with cutting-edge technologies and other security measures. Tyre killers and road blockers are also placed in strategic locations.

A joint command and control centre has been established for better coordination among security agencies. The other security arsenal in the Parliament includes door-frame metal detectors, modern gadgets and radio frequency tags controlling vehicle access. A visitor in the Parliament gets frisked four times and their bags and mobile phones need to be deposited at the security lock.

The process starts with the entry in the parliament area. After getting through from metal detectors, one enters into the second and third levels of security check, before entering into the visitor gallery where another security check is done.

Even as some Members of Parliament enjoy security cover, arms and ammunition are strictly prohibited within the Parliament House Complex. Only designated security personnel are granted this privilege, with a meticulous process at each gate. The Parliament security service remains in touch with the Delhi Police, Parliament Duty Group, Intelligence Bureau, Special Protection Group, and National Security Guard. As the investigation continues into today's incident, the suspicion pointed towards a lax approach during visitor frisking.