Six people were involved in the planning and execution of a major security breach in Parliament on Wednesday, police sources told NDTV this evening, prompting a flood of questions on security systems in place in the new building. These reportedly include at least five levels of screening.

Two individuals – Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan – deployed yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha, and two others – Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde – burst red and yellow canisters outside the Parliament. The fifth has been named as Lalit Jha, at whose Gurgaon home the other five stayed.

The sixth person has not been named; s/he and Lalit Jha are on the run.

READ | Parliament Security Breach: 4 People, 2 Incidents, Smoke In Lok Sabha

Initial inquiries have established the two who popped the smoke cans inside the Lok Sabha are from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh (Sagar Sharma) and Karnataka’s Mysuru (D Manoranjan). The two caught outside Parliament are from Maharashtra’s Latur (Amol Shinde) and Hisar in Haryana (Neelam Devi).

Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan, who were seated in the Lok Sabha’s visitors’ gallery before launching this shocking disruption were given entrance passes requested by BJP MP Pratap Sinha’s office.

READ | Parliament Intruders Got Passes Via BJP MP Pratap Simha’s Office

Mr Simha, the ruling party’s lawmaker from Mysuru, has told NDTV he will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to explain his position regarding the requests for passes that was forwarded by his office.

According to the police, all six met online and hatched this plan together. There is, at this time, no evidence to suggest they were radicalised by any terror group, sources told NDTV.

The police have also released a few more details, including the Aadhaar cards of Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan, while NDTV has learned Neelam Devi, 42, is a teacher studying for the civil services.

According to Neelam’s brother, she was actively involved in the controversial farmers’ protest of 2020 against the government’s three farm laws, but is not linked to any political party.

READ | “Neelam Is On TV…”: Family Of ‘Smoke Canister’ Woman 

Today’s Parliament breach comes 22 years after a terror strike on the old building in which nine people, including eight security personnel, were killed. It also follows threats by a Khalistani terrorist – Gurpatwant Singh Pannun – to stage an attack that will “shake the very foundation of Parliament”.

Parliament Smoke Attack: What Happened?

On Wednesday afternoon, as the Lok Sabha was holding a Zero Hour session, Sagar Sharma jumped out of the visitors’ gallery and into the chamber. He popped a yellow smoke canister and, in incredible scenes, jumped from desk to desk in an attempt to reach the Lok Sabha Speaker’s Chair.

He was overpowered and captured by MPs, several of whom then thrashed him. His accomplice – Manoranjan – remained in the gallery; he too opened a smoke canister, presumably to distract attention.

READ | 4-Tier Security, Body Scanner: What 2 Men Evaded To Enter Parliament

Shortly before the security scare inside Parliament, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde burst smoke canisters – with yellow and red smoke – outside, and shouted slogans denouncing dictatorship.

All four have been arrested and are being interrogated by the anti-terror cell.

Re-assuring MPs rightly worried about their safety after this incident, Mr Birla told them a thorough investigation would take place. “All have been caught and the materials with them have been seized.”

The Lower House was later adjourned till 11 am Thursday.

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The Parliament complex has been closed to visitors following a major breach Wednesday afternoon, in which two men admitted to the visitors’ gallery popped yellow smoke canisters and one made a run at the Speaker’s Chair. Two others – a man and a woman – opened smoke cans outside the complex.

After the major security breach in the Lok Sabha, in which two men carrying smoke canisters jumped into the chamber of the House from the visitors’ gallery, BSP MP Danish Ali told NDTV that at least one of the passes recovered after the attack had been issued by BJP MP Prathap Simha’s office. 

Sources have also confirmed to NDTV that both men who jumped into the chamber were given visitors’ passes by Mr Simha. 

Expressing shock at the breach, several Members of Parliament said visitors have to clear five levels of security before entering the complex and that signatures from the office of an MP are needed for a pass to the visitors’ gallery. The breach took place 22 years after the attack on Parliament in 2001.

Prathap Simha is an MP from Mysore in Karnataka and, according to the police, at least one of the men who jumped into the chamber is linked to his constituency. Manoranjan D, 35, is a Bachelor of Engineering graduate from Mysore Vivekanand University in Bengaluru and his father stays in Mysore’s Vijaynagar. 

Mr Simha had won from the Mysore constituency with 43.46% of votes in 2014 and increased his vote share to 52.27% in the 2019 elections. The 42-year-old is a former journalist and is well-known for a series of columns. He also wrote a biography of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007. 

The son of a farmer, the MP had earlier said that he idolises PM Modi.

Around 1 pm today, Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the chamber of the Lok Sabha. Footage showed Sagar jumping over desks and heading towards the Speaker’s chair, while Manoranjan sprayed yellowish smoke from one of the canisters. 

A man and a woman, identified as Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi, were also detained outside Parliament with coloured smoke canisters.