Parliament security breach: Sixth accused sent to 7-day police custody

New Delhi, Dec 15

After a Delhi court sent the alleged mastermind in the Parliament security breach case, Lalit Jha, to seven-day police custody on Friday, the sixth accused, Mahesh Kumawat, was also sent to police custody for a week on Saturday.

On Thursday, the same court had sent four accused persons -- Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde -- to seven-day police custody. All four were arrested from the Parliament premises on Wednesday.

Before Special Judge Hardeep Kaur of Patiala House Courts, the public prosecutor said that Kumawat was involved in destruction of mobile phones and was trying to spread anarchy in the country.

The court noted that Kumawat was involved in the conspiracy for the last two years and acknowledged the public prosecutor's submission that his custody was required to unearth the entire conspiracy.

It was further submitted that the accused wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their unjust and illegal demands.

“He was in contact with other persons in hatching the conspiracy for the last two years. He helped mastermind Jha in the destruction of mobile phones to destroy evidence and to hide the larger conspiracy,” the public prosecutor said.

He told the court that the accused’s custody was required to find the actual motive behind the attack, and his possible association with some enemy country or terrorists organisations.

The police had sought Kumawat's custody for 15 days.

Kumawat was arrested earlier on Saturday on charges of destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy, the police said.

Five persons were directly involved in the planning and execution of the security breach in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack.

Two of them -- Sagar and Manoranjan -- burst yellow smoke canisters after jumping into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery before they were overpowered by the MPs present in the House.

Two others -- Neelam and Amol -- also burst smoke canisters and raised slogans outside the Parliament. Jha, believed to be the mastermind of the entire plan, reportedly fled with the mobile phones of the four others from the Parliament, sources said.

Manoranjan is from Mysuru, Sagar is a resident of Lucknow, Neelam is from Haryana's Jind, while Amol hails from Maharashtra's Latur. Jha is a native of Bihar.