Parliament Security Breach: Jha worked as a teacher in Kolkata.
Lalit Jha - the alleged "mastermind" behind the Parliament security breach - and his co-accused wanted to create "anarchy" in the country to compel the government to meet their demands, Delhi Police told a court on Friday. According to sources, the police will seek Parliamentary approval to recreate the incident that took place on the anniversary of the 2001 attack.
Five individuals have been arrested so far for the major security breach at Parliament involving smoke bombs and protests. While Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D were arrested from inside the Lok Sabha chamber, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde were detained outside the Parliament building.
Delhi Police told the Patiala House court that Jha admitted that he met with the other accused in the case several times to plan the Parliament security breach. Jha, who is from Bihar, worked as a teacher in Kolkata and was sent to seven-day police custody on Friday.
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While initially contemplating an outdoor protest, Jha found it lacking in potential impact and opted for a bolder strategy: infiltrating Parliament.
According to the police, the accused used Google to acquire information. Searches included studying old videos of Parliament security measures and learning about secure communication methods. In a bid to avoid detection, the group exclusively communicated using the Signal app.
Jha will also be interrogated to determine if the accused had any links with an enemy country or terrorist organisation. He will be taken to Rajasthan to retrace his steps as he fled to the state soon after the security breach. Jha, according to the police, threw his phone and burnt the phones of others involved in the breach.
"After the incident, he fled to Rajasthan where he stayed for two days and returned to Delhi last night," a Delhi Police officer said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
According to sources, Jha fled to Rajasthan's Nagaur after the incident. Kailash and Mahesh Kumawat, who are cousins, arranged his stay there, they added. The two are yet to be arrested.
"We are planning to approach Parliament to seek permission for recreating the crime scene inside the House and outside the Parliament building. Lalit Jha, who was arrested on Thursday, revealed during the interrogation that he had thrown his phone near the Delhi-Jaipur border and destroyed the phones of the other accused," the police officer added.
Jha has claimed "unemployment" as a motive behind the security breach, however, the police suspect a larger conspiracy, fueled by potential foreign funding. The police are also on the lookout for the footwear designer who crafted the shoes that concealed the smoke canisters used by the accused inside the Parliament building.
Parliament's CCTV footage is currently undergoing pixel-by-pixel scrutiny while mobile phone data around the scene is being collected for leads in the probe. The police also suspect a 'Plan B' in place had the main plan failed.
READ | Police Explain How Sagar Sharma Smuggled Smoke Cans Into Parliament
"Jha disclosed that they wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their demands. He took the phones (of other accused) to hide them and to destroy evidence as part of the larger conspiracy. He disclosed that he threw his phone away on his way from Jaipur to Delhi," the police told Patiala House court.
The details of the FIR reveal a meticulously planned operation: Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D smuggled smoke canisters into the Lok Sabha chamber, concealed within custom-made shoes. These specially crafted shoes boasted hidden cavities beneath thick rubber soles, camouflaging the contraband. The two also carried pamphlets that had the picture of a fist against the backdrop of the national flag and raised slogans on the Manipur violence issue.
Simultaneously, Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi sprayed coloured gas from canisters outside the building while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi".
All four are being charged under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.