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19-yr-old held for trying to scale Parliament wall, jumping into premises
The man climbed a tree to scale the perimeter near Iron Gate 3 and walked considerable distance through the complex before CISF personnel spotted him
A 19-year-old man penetrated deep into Parliament’s high-security compound on Friday morning before being apprehended near the Garud Gate, one of the main entrance to the building, officials said.
The man, a factory worker from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, climbed a tree to scale the perimeter near Iron Gate 3 – currently closed – and walked considerable distance through the complex before Central Industrial Security Force personnel spotted him near Garud Gate, officials familiar with the incident said. CISF said he approached the complex at about 5.50 am and attempted to scalethe perimeter wall, before being intercepted and apprehended near one of the entrances to the new Parliament building’s central hall.
The breach represents a significant security lapse, with the intruder bypassing multiple protective measures designed to prevent such incidents. “This is a major security lapse because the man had walked a considerable distance within the complex and reached the Garud Gate,” said one officer aware of the breach. “There is always a Delhi police PCR van at the gate to prevent such intrusion. Apart from this, there is also a CISF post inside the complex. It is surprising how he managed to walk till the Garud gate.”
Security staff handed him to local police for questioning by a joint team of agencies. Preliminary enquiries suggest the man, who works at a factory in Surat, “appears to be mentally incoherent,” CISF said in a statement.
Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahala said that he was apprehended by CISF and Delhi Police staff. “He is originally from Uttar Pradesh. He seems mentally incoherent. Further interrogation and verification is in process,” Mahala said.
A Delhi Police officer later said the man’s medical examination has revealed that he was suffering from amnesia. “He will be in police custody till his family arrives to take him on Saturday,” he said.
The incident marks the second attempted breach at Parliament in less than a year. In August, another man from Uttar Pradesh scaled a wall and entered the Parliament Annexe premises before being arrested. CISF took control of Parliament security following a major breach on December 13, 2023 when two men carrying smoke canisters penetrated three security layers, vaulted into the Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and released smoke during Zero Hour proceedings.
The Union home ministry directed CISF to conduct a comprehensive security survey later that month, leading to the January 2024 handover from the previous arrangement managed jointly by Delhi police, the CRPF and Parliament Security Service.
