Parliament security breach: Accused persons wanted to discredit Indian democracy, says Delhi Police

The accused persons in the 2023 Parliament security breach case wanted to discredit democracy in India, gain instant global fame and usurp power, the Delhi Police claimed in its chargesheet filed before a city court, PTI reported on Sunday.

The chargesheet was filed before Delhi’s Patiala House court in June, and a judge took cognisance of it last month.

On December 13 last year, two men had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery and opened gas canisters. Outside Parliament, a man and a woman had opened smoke canisters and shouted “Stop dictatorship” slogans.

The police arrested six persons – Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde, Neelam Azad, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat – in connection with the case. All are currently in judicial custody.

In its chargesheet, the police claimed that the group first met on social media and planned their move for nearly two years before executing it on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, PTI reported citing unidentified sources.

On December 13, 2001, terrorists entered the Parliament complex and began shooting with AK-47 rifles. The attack had left nine persons dead.

The police, in its chargesheet on last year’s security breach, accused Manoranjan of being among the main conspirators.

He “instigated and motivated” the group by promising them “richness, glory and wealth” and by targeting the “very symbol of democracy”, the chargesheet claimed.

Manoranjan, who was driven by his “ultra Maoist-inspired thinking”, wanted to target the Parliament building to gain immediate and lasting attention, PTI quoted the police as saying.

The chargesheet said that the accused persons met in person for the first time in February 2022 in Karnataka’s Mysuru. Five meetings were held in total in Mysuru, Gurugram and Delhi to finalise their plan, according to PTI.