Page 17 - Parliament Winter Session

MHA orders probe into LS security breach, CRPF DG to head inquiry panel

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday ordered a probe into the Parliament security breach incident following a request from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, officials said. The inquiry committee, headed by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Anish Dayal Singh, along with members from other security agencies and experts, will find out the lapse in the security of Parliament and recommend action, an MHA spokesperson said. "On a request from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the MHA has ordered an inquiry into the Parliament security breach incident. The inquiry committee has been set up under the chairmanship of Anish Dayal Singh, Director General, CRPF, with members from other security agencies and experts," the spokesperson said. The committee will probe the reasons for the breach in security, identify lapses, and recommend further action, he said. "The committee will submit its report with recommendations, including suggestions on improving security in Parliament, at the .

Parl security beefed up, image to be captured by facial recognition device

On the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament terror attack, there was a major security breach when two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor gallery during Zero Hour

No proposal to provide subsidy on import duty on EVs into India yet: Govt

There is no proposal to provide subsidy on import duty on imports of electric vehicles into the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said the government has taken a series of policy initiatives and measures to create a conducive ecosystem to promote industrialisation and domestic value addition and to make India globally competitive. The government has also taken various steps to boost domestic and foreign investments in India to enhance local value addition under Make in India initiative, the minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "Presently, there is no proposal either to provide exemption from local value addition cost or to provide subsidy on import duty on import of electric vehicles in India," Parkash said. He also informed that the government has launched the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for automobile and auto component industry with a budgetary outlay of Rs 25,938 crore to provide ...

Govt not considering any proposal to take over Vodafone Idea: MoS

The government is not considering any proposal to take over Vodafone Idea (VIL), Parliament was informed on Wednesday. This was stated by Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan in a written reply in Lok Sabha. To a question on whether the government has any plan to take over Vodafone Idea, Chauhan said, "No such proposal is under consideration in the Department".

LS security breach: Intruder's last social media post about 'making effort'

"Making an effort is important whether you win or lose," said Sagar Sharma in his last social media post before he and another person jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor's gallery, triggering panic and chaos in the House. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Around the same time, two other accused -- Amol Shinde and Neelam -- also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside Parliament premises. Sagar, Manoranjan, Amol and Neelam are now in police custody. Their accomplice Vishal, in whose house the accused stayed before reaching Parliament, has been detained from Gurugram while a hunt is on for their other accomplice Lalit. In a post on Instagram, Sagar wrote, "Jeete y

Winter Session: Parliament clears bill to repeal 76 outdated, obsolete laws

Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal 76 redundant and obsolete laws with the government saying the move is part of its continuing efforts to improve the ease of living and doing business. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 was cleared in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation on July 27 this year. In December last year, the government introduced the Repealing and Amending Bill to cull 65 old laws. But the bill could not come up for discussion in subsequent sessions. The government later moved amendment to add 11 more laws to the list, bringing the total to 76 laws. The bill proposes to repeal outdated laws like the Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, 1885 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950. The bill also seeks to repeal certain Appropriation Acts passed by Parliament in the recent past. Replying to the debate, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the Modi government since coming to power in 2014 has repealed 1,486 def

US conducted countervailing probe on certain Indian goods: MoS Commerce

The US has conducted countervailing investigations on certain Indian goods such as paper file folders, and common alloy aluminum sheet, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The European Commission (EC) has also conducted a similar probe on certain graphite electrode systems, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. She said that the Indian government and the affected exporters have strongly defended the subsidy allegation against various programmes and schemes of the government, both at central and state level, in their written and oral responses during the conduct of investigations. "The products for which countervailing investigations have been conducted and a final determination of CVD (countervailing duty) has been made include Paper File Folders, Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet and Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks by US," she said. Countervailing duty is a country-specific duty imposed to safeguard the domestic industry ...

Parliament security breach: What LS handbook says on visitors' passes

All MPs requesting visitor passes must give a declaration that they know the guest personally and take full responsibility for him or her, according to the Lok Sabha handbook for members. The guidelines were in the spotlight after two persons on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery in a major security breach. According to the 'handbook for Lok Sabha members' uploaded on the Lower House's website, in the application form submitted by MPs for visitors, they need to provide details such as visitor's name in full, age, father's or husband's name, nationality and passport number (for foreigners only) and details of occupation, among other things. Details of occupation of the husband (in the case of housewives only), full permanent address and state, and full Delhi address are also required. According to the handbook, the members have to provide a certificate on the application form for the visitor card stating, "The above-named visitor is my relation/perso

Ex-security chief of Parliament points fingers at security lapse in LS

There was a serious security lapse in the Lok Sabha where two persons on Wednesday jumped into the chamber of the House from the public gallery and released yellow gas from canisters, said the former Officer on Special Duty of the Parliament Security V Purushotham Rao. Speaking to PTI, Rao said this kind of incident could have been avoided had the recommendations of a committee headed by then Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, appointed after the 2001 Parliament attack incident, been implemented. Rao said he shot one of the five assailants who attacked Parliament in 2001 and claimed that one of the recommendations made by the committee was to install a bullet-proof glass in the visitors gallery of Parliament. "The standard operating procedures (SOP) have not been followed. I am not supposed to criticise anybody, but this is a lapse. This is a serious lapse. The SOP the standard operating procedures have not followed correctly," he said. In a major security breach on the anniversary o

Lok Sabha security breach: 5th person nabbed, plan hatched 'few days ago'

The Parliament security breach on Wednesday was well-coordinated, meticulously planned and carried out by six accused, five of whom have been nabbed, police sources said on Wednesday. Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D who were held inside the Lok Sabha chamber, and Amol Shinde and Neelam -- caught outside Parliament -- are in police custody. Lalit and Vikram are suspected to be their accomplices. while Vikram has been detained from Gurugram, Delhi Police teams have been sent to various locations to nab Lalit, sources said. Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs. Around the same time, Amol Shinde and Neelam sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside the Parliament premises. Police sources said the Parliament security breach was a well-planned and well-coordinated incident carried out by

Lok Sabha security row: Expel BJP MP Pratap Simha, demands TMC. Here's why

The TMC on Wednesday sought the expulsion of BJP MP Pratap Simha for facilitating the entry of at least one person who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber and opened smoke canisters, drawing a parallel with party leader Mahua Moitra's ouster from the House. Several opposition MPs demanded an explanation from Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the incident, which took place on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, triggered panic among the members. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha last week after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest. "Our MP Mahua Moitra was unjustly expelled for allegedly breaching national security by sharing her login credentials. Today, BJP Karnataka MP Pratap Simha put the security of the entire Parliament at risk by issuing a visitor's pass to the intruders," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said in a post on X. "What is

Oppn raises concern over Parliament security at all-party meet with Speaker

Opposition leaders Wednesday raised concern over the "major security breach" in Parliament and demanded a probe into the matter as well as the implementation of strict measures in the new building like that in the old one. Two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs. Around the same time, a man and a woman also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside the Parliament premises. All four have been detained by security forces. Some TMC MPs compared the incident with the expulsion of their party colleague Mahua Moitra and demanded action against the BJP MPs who allegedly helped the accused get passes to enter Parliament. Two persons involved in the incident have been identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan. Sharma had come to the visitor's gallery as a guest of Mysuru Lok Sabha member Prathap Simha. At an

Security breach highlights inadequate security measures, say reports

The major security breach in Parliament on Wednesday brought to the fore shortcomings in the security protocol, driven in part by the shortage of parliamentary staff assigned to enforce it, a point made by some leaders in the all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The two accused, Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber had visitors' passes for 45 minutes but they stayed in the visitors' gallery for close to two hours, in violation of the rules, sources said. Parliament's security staff used to usher visitors out from the gallery near the deadline of their stay but their deployment has been nearly absent in the galleries of the new building as they have been busy with duties at different places amid changing security needs and requirement of the new place, the sources said. They said the sanctioned strength of security officials in the hierarchy ranging from Special Director (Security) to Security Assistant Grade-II is around 301 while

6 suspected to be involved in Parliament security breach, 4 held: Report

The Delhi Police suspects the involvement of two more people along with the four who have already been held in the Wednesday security breach of Parliament, sources said. All six were known to each other and were staying in a house in Gurugram, they claimed. Amol Shinde and Neelam -- caught outside the Parliament -- and Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- held inside the Lok Sabha chamber -- are in police custody. Two more, identified as Lalit and Vikram, and suspected to be their accomplices, are being looked for. Amol Shinde and Neelam were arrested earlier in the day for protesting outside the Parliament building carrying cans that emitted a yellow and red smoke, police said. The incident happened minutes after two people jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery and opened canisters that emitted a similar-coloured smoke, triggering panic among the MPs. They were identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D. Police sources said that the four accused knew each other a

Happened despite 5 layer security: Eyewitnesses recall Lok Sabha incident

Visitors at the public gallery of Lok Sabha on Wednesday said the two protesters who jumped into the House's chamber were sitting quietly and disrupted the proceedings "all of a sudden". An eyewitness who was sitting at the public gallery said that while some Lok Sabha MPs were chasing the protesters, a smoke canister was thrown by one of them inside the House. "The protesters were not chanting any slogans while being seated at the public gallery and jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber all of a sudden," the eyewitness said. "The moment the protesters jumped into the House's chamber, the MPs tried chasing them. The protesters also threw a smoke canister there. During the incident, we were evacuated as per security instructions," he said. According to the eyewitnesses, around 30 to 40 visitors were seated at the gallery of Lok Sabha when the "security breach" took place. "It was shocking to see such kind of an incident inside the Parliament, despite five layers of security," another .

Accused was seeking Parliament pass from Simha for over 3 months: Report

BJP MP Prathap Simha, on whose authorisation passes were issued to two persons who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber on Wednesday in a major security breach, knew one of the accused as he hailed from his constituency Mysuru and he would come to Simha's office very often, sources said. Manoranjan D, one of the accused, introduced co-accused Sagar Sharma as a friend to the MP's office and got passes issued to them on the pretext of watching the new Parliament, according to sources. Three passes were issued at the behest of Simha for Wednesday. However, one person, a woman, had to return as she arrived with her child whose name was not mentioned in her pass, sources close to the MP said. The woman had no connection with the two accused. Manoranjan D has been pursuing Simha and his office for the pass for over three months. Facing flak, Simha's office defended him, saying MPs generally entertain such requests from members of their constituency.

Congress seeks answers from govt on 'serious security breach' in Parliament

The Congress on Wednesday demanded answers from the government on the "serious security breach" in Lok Sabha, saying does the incident "not prove that necessary precautions were not taken". Two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour and released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs. Around the same time, two persons, including a woman, also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans 'tanashahi nahi chalegi' outside the Parliament premises. In a post on X, party president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the security breach that took place in Parliament is a very serious matter. "We demand that the Home Minister should come to both the Houses and give a statement on this. The question is, how did two people come inside such a big security department and release gas from a canister there," he said. "Today, on Martyr's Day, we paid tribute to the brave .

Dhankhar prods RS members in call for discussion on student suicides

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday took cognisance of suicides among students due to the stress of competitive exams and prodded members of the Upper House to propose a discussion on the issue. During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, five supplementaries were asked by members on suicides among students due to competitive exams. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan replied to all oral supplementaries but the members continued to show their anxiousness over the issue. Taking cognisance of the seriousness of the issue, Dhankhar said, "I appeal to the honourable members that this is an issue (in which) we must involve ourselves. We can make huge contributions." He suggested evolving an ecosystem where student suicides can be minimised and brought down to zero. "Everyone has a role to contribute. I will be open to a discussion on this issue as the members may feel," he stated. Earlier, replying in the House on the starred or oral questions, Pradhan informed the

LS security breach: Gorhe directs against issuing visitors' council pass

Maharashtra legislative council's deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe on Wednesday gave instructions to officials not to issue the council gallery passes to visitors, after a security breach in the Lok Sabha, sources said. The winter session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. In a major security breach on the 22nd anniversary of Parliament terror attack, two intruders jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs. Around the same time, two persons, including a woman, also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans outside Parliament premises in New Delhi. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later informed the House that four persons have been arrested - two from inside the House, and two from outside Parliament in connection with the incident. Following the incident, Gorhe gave directions to authorities concerned not to issue passes for the

Security breach in LS: 2 enter House; 2 protest outside; all four detained

A man and a woman were detained on Wednesday for protesting outside the Parliament building carrying cans that emitted a yellowish smoke, police said here. Identified as Neelam (42) and Amol Shinde (25), the two were detained in front of Transport Bhawan, police officials said, adding that further probe is underway. Security has been beefed up in the area following the incident. Terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed outfits attacked the Parliament complex on this day in 2001, killing nine people.