Sagarika Mitra, Content Head of JAN KI BAAT writes about her experience in Parliament today and raises questions about the unprecedented security breach
As the clock ticked towards 1 pm, little did I know that the memory of my morning visit to the Parliament would soon be shattered by the visuals of a shocking and unprecedented breach of security. An hour and half before chaos erupted, I found myself seated in the same public gallery where, just moments later, two intruders would plunge the temple of democracy into disarray.
This morning, we witnessed the proceedings of the Lok Sabha for about 30 minutes, a visit that I had planned with my in-laws. Alongside approximately 20 others, we took our designated seats in one of the public galleries adjacent to the media section. The time slot allotted to us was 10.45 am to 11.30 am. Present in the gallery were two security personnel and one staff member of the Lok Sabha – they were in-charge of maintaining decorum in the gallery. One of them was so strict, that she kept asking us to keep quiet and not point at MPs whom we were recognising.
The layers of security we navigated were meticulous, leaving no room for oversight. As we approached Gate number 8, our personal belongings, including phones, wallets, pens, and diaries, were promptly submitted. Armed only with our ID cards and the visitor’s pass, we underwent not one but two thorough checks before making our way to the public gallery.
The process was relentless. Metal detectors ran over our bodies, and our passes and ID cards were scrutinised twice. Women security personnel conducted meticulous frisking, ensuring that nothing unauthorised made its way into the public gallery of the Lok Sabha.
So, it is with utter disbelief and shock that I soak in the details of today’s news. How, amidst the stringent security protocols, did the canisters or smoke crackers carried by the audacious intruders slip through undetected? The very security measures that ensured our safety seemed to falter in the face of this unforeseen breach.
In the wake of this experience, I cannot help but wonder how such a breach could occur within the fortress of parliamentary security. As visuals of the intruder leaping through benches during Lok Sabha proceedings – play on a loop on every news channel – I find myself grappling with the incongruity between the rigorous checks we underwent and the unexplained failure to intercept the intruders and their yellow canisters.
The dramatic contradiction between the stringent security measures and the ensuing breach raises not only concerns about our immediate safety but also fundamental questions about the integrity of the systems in place.
Several crucial questions demand answers:
1. Pass Issuance: Who did the intruders approach to get these passes issued for themselves? Did BJP MP Pratap Simha’s staff members carry out due diligence or conduct proper background checks before issuing the passes?
2. Security Oversight: How did the security apparatus miss the canisters carried by the intruders? What went wrong with the metal detectors, explosive detectors, and fire detectors?
3. Visitor Screening: Did the protesters undergo adequate physical frisking? If not, why were security measures not implemented more rigorously, especially during the ongoing Parliament Winter Session?
4. Intelligence Briefing: Were security personnel briefed about the significance of the date, given the historical context of the 2001 Parliament attack and prior threats, such as the one issued by Khalistani Terrorist Gurpatwant Pannu?
5. Layered Clothing Consideration: Given the winter season and the layered clothing people wear, were security agencies adequately prepared for potential concealment of items?
SHARE
