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‘Follower of Kisan Andolan’: Police on UP man who breached Delhi Assembly security; court grants 8-day custody
Police sought a custody to unearth any “conspiracy” or “terror angle”, while defence lawyer argued that Singh is mentally unwell.
A Delhi court on Tuesday sent the man who breached the security at the Delhi assembly premises to eight days in police custody.
Even as the accused, identified as Sarabjeet Singh, was sent to custody, his links to the 2020-21 farmers' agitation were cited by the police while seeking custody.
The 37-year-old is believed to be a “follower of the Kisan Andolan”, the prosecution reportedly noted, referring to the farmers' agitation at Delhi's border that led to PM Narendra Modi taking back three contentious laws concerning the agriculture sector.
He had shared several posts on social media platforms expressing support for the those who lost their lives during the agitation, with some of this content being deleted later, according to the PTI report. Police also said they wanted to check for a “conspiracy”.
What do we know about the security breach?
On Monday, he caused the security breach by allegedly breaking through the barricades while driving an SUV and damaging the iron gates to enter the premises. Following this, he stepped out of his vehicle and placed a bouquet of flowers in the car of Speaker Vijender Gupta, before exiting the same way.
The entire incident, which took place at around 2.10 pm, lasted only five minutes. The speeding Tata Sierra, with a UP number, rammed through the barricades of Gate No 2 of the Vidhan Sabha building. The gate is located near Vidhan Sabha Metro Station Gate number 1, and is typically used for VIP entry.
The security at the gate is usually lighter when the House is not in session. On Monday, there were two CRPF personnel on duty at this entrance. As the car rammed through the barricades, the personnel chased the SUV, which stopped near the Speaker’s unlocked car, a police officer said, according to an earlier HT report.
Singh then stepped out of his vehicle and briefly sat inside the Speaker’s vehicle, placing a bouquet of artificial flowers as well as a garland of marigolds in the boot. He then sat back in his car and drove out of the premises, nearly hitting an autorickshaw on his way out.
Delhi Police suspect ‘terror angle’, defence cited ‘mental illness’
The police sought a 10-day custody of Singh, saying that this duration was necessary to unearth any conspiracy connected to the security breach and to probe a potential “terror angle”, additional public prosecutor (APP) Atul Shrivastava submitted before the court.
Shrivastava said Singh's phone, which he allegedly threw away, was yet to be recovered, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the defence counsel argued that Singh is mentally unstable and had been undergoing regular medical treatment. The defence counsel said Singh had left home a fortnight ago to visit his sister in Chandigarh without informing anyone, adding that his family had no idea about his whereabouts.
However, the accused allegedly drove back to Delhi after learning that his nephew was missing, and entered the Assembly premises by mistake believing it to be a gurdwara, his lawyer submitted. However, the judge questioned how Singh was allowed to drive if he was in such a state.
“You are driving 700 km across states and yet you are claiming insanity?” the judge questioned. “How is it that only after committing this offence, you are now realising these mental issues?” the judge further asked.
