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Security overhaul in Parliament likely as breach exposes chinks
The entry of visitors was stopped indefinitely from Wednesday afternoon and no crowd would be allowed to gather in front of the Makar dwar.
A glass wall in front of the visitors’ gallery in Parliament, full-body scanners for visitors and an immiediate ban on their entry, and sanitising the main gate or Makar Dwar of the new building -- these were among the raft of measures under consideration as a part of the revamped security protocol to plug loopholes exposed by the alarming incursion in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The entry of visitors was stopped indefinitely from Wednesday afternoon and no crowd would be allowed to gather in front of the Makar dwar, which is used by members to enter the House, from Thursday, said a senior official aware of developments. “Other measures will be rolled out after the security review is completed by the home ministry and Lok Sabha secretariat,” added the official.
The steps came hours after two men managed to breach Parliament’s three-layer security and set off canisters of yellow smoke inside the Lok Sabha, rappelling down from the visitors’ gallery on to the floor of the House before being overpowered by parliamentarians.
At the all-party meeting convened by speaker Om Birla at 4pm, several Opposition lawmakers demanded an in-depth probe into the breach, questioned the arrangements in the new building and sought action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Pratap Simha, whose office facilitated the entry of the two intruders.
Some members, however, opposed the move to stop the entry of all visitors in the Parliament complex but supported other measures such as a glass barrier in the public gallery that might be put in place. The Trinamool Congress argued that if former Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra could be expelled for sharing login credentials, Simha should also face action as “his recommendation letter endangered the life of MPs.”
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress floor leader in the Lower House, told the speaker that it is a grave security lapse and the Delhi Police, which sent personnel for security cover during the session, failed to do its job. He also argued that many vacancies in the watch and ward division of Parliament remained a matter of concern.
“The two attackers were still sitting in the House even after their one- hour slot was over. How could they overstay in the gallery?” he asked in the meeting. The Congress leader argued that arrangements were put in haste when Parliament moved from the old building to the new one.
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“This is was a major security breach. But please don’t stop all visitors from coming to Parliament. We are MPs. People come from our constituencies to New Delhi and all of them want to see the Parliament building,” Chowdhury said in the meeting.
He also opposed a proposal to ban the media outside the main gate of the new building. He pointed out how there were designated spaces for the media outside the old building. “In the earlier arrangement, there were proper arrangement...the MPs were free to speak to the media. The media needs us and we need the media. If the media is stopped, are we going to live in a desert?” he asked.
Another Opposition MP argued that the Delhi Police, which deploy personnel during the session, comes under the Union home ministry. They demanded a detailed discussion on the security lapse and a reply by Union home minister Amit Shah.
Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay pointed to the “major security lapse” and said that it was the first such incident in Parliament. “There was so much campaign about the new Parliament building but today the weakness of the security has been exposed.”
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“There are a number of things that need to be changed. Everyone gathers near the main gate. People stand there for hours to click selfies. The main gate should be secured,” he added.
Bandopadhyay also referred to Moitra’s expulsion and said, “She was termed anti-national for sharing her password. Now what will happen to the BJP MP (Simha)? His recommendation letter has endangered the life of MPs.”
The speaker appraised the MPs about the steps that have been taken, including secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh writing a letter to home ministry for a detailed review. The MPs were also informed that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had been asked to ascertain the material used in the smoke.
Two MPs said that parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi didn’t say anything in the meeting but took notes of the observation of the MPs.
Some pressed for the deployment of full-body scanners on the lines of the what is done at some airports, while a few others flagged the crowded lobbies outside chambers. Revolutionary Socialist Party member N K Premachandran wondered if there was a Khalistani angle to the incident as the smoke from canister used by one of the accused was yellow, a colour associated with separatists.
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