Day after breach, security tightened in and around Parliament complex

A strong security measurement was seen in place in and around the Parliament building on Thursday with police and Parliament security personnel thoroughly checking the credentials of those entering the Lower House complex.

New Delhi: A day after the security breach in Parliament, stringent measures were put in place in and around the building on Thursday with police and Parliament security personnel thoroughly checking the credentials of those entering the complex. Security personnel deployed outside Transport Bhavan which is metres away from the Parliament Complex did not allow anyone to go beyond the barricades before checking their identity cards and entry passes.

Amid tight security, a large group of students from Gujarat's tribal region of Dang met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament House. Security personnel deployed near Krishi Bhavan, which houses the Agriculture Ministry and other government departments, stopped bikers and let them leave only after checking their credentials.

Inside the Parliament premises, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was not allowed to enter the new building from the Makar Dwar which is meant for the entry of parliamentarians. Sangma had to get out of his car and walk to the Shardul Dwar to enter the building. "Ministry officials, including private secretaries of ministers and other staffers, were stopped from entering Parliament through the Makar Dwar as it is only meant for the entry of MPs. They were asked to enter the building through the Shardul Dwar," a Parliament official told PTI.

The Makar Dwar of the new Parliament building has been kept out of bounds for everyone, except MPs. Mediapersons with cameras were shifted to the lawn near the old Parliament building's gate number 12 and journalists were asked not to take sound bites of the MPs, click pictures or shoot videos near the Makar Dwar.

"This has been done to avoid overcrowding outside the Makar Dwar," a Parliament security staff told PTI. Some of those entering the Parliament complex were randomly asked to remove their shoes. The two persons who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber had hidden smoke cans in their shoes. Security personnel deployed outside the Parliament Complex allowed only those with a valid pass to reach the entry gates. Drivers of MPs not carrying passes were not allowed to enter the complex.

"A mistake happened on Wednesday. What message will it send around the world if some untoward incident happens here? That is why we are asking every visitor to show a valid entry pass and other credentials before they reach Parliament's entry gates," a Delhi police personnel told PTI. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during the Zero Hour on Wednesday, released a yellow-coloured gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.

Around the same time, two others, including a woman, raised slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters outside the Parliament premises. According to police, the Parliament security breach was well-coordinated, meticulously planned and carried out by six people, five of whom have been arrested. The Delhi Police is conducting raids to nab the sixth suspect, who is believed to be a key part of the group that breached Parliament, an officer said on Thursday.

A resident of Kolkata, Lalit Jha is a teacher by profession and the main conspirator of the security breach, an officer said. The Lok Sabha Secretariat has suspended eight security personnel for the security breach in Parliament, sources said on Thursday. Those suspended belong to various security agencies who were on deputation for Parliament security.

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