Lok Sabha breach: Who is Pratap Simha, the BJP MP who issued visitors pass to intruders?

Triggering a massive security scare, two men barged into Lok Sabha chamber on Wednesday while the Winter Session of the Parliament was underway. The two men, who jumped from the visitors’ gallery carrying smoke canisters, are identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, according to India Today. As per the report, Sharma had a visitor pass to the Parliament which was issued by BJP MP Pratap Simha’s office. Another report by NDTV also quoted suspended BSP MP Danish Ali confirming that the vistor’s pass of the accused was issued by Simha’s office. The BJP MP who issued a visitor pass Pratap Simha is a Member of Parliament from Mysore in Karnataka. The 42-year-old entered politics in 2014 and won from the Mysore constituency with 43.46 per cent of votes in 2014 and increased his vote share to 52.27 per cent in the 2019 elections, reported NDTV. He is the chief of the Karnataka branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Youth Wing. The BJP MP began his career as a journalist in Vijaya Karnataka newspaper, according to Zee News. He is also known for his sharp and critical Hindutva politics in his column Bettale Jagattu, which means “The Naked World.” He is credited with penning a 2007 biography of his idol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to The Quint, the BJP MP was accused of physically and mentally harassing a woman in April 2019, and numerous images and audio clips of the alleged abuse went viral on social media. A complaint was filed against him and Tejasvi Surya with the Karnataka State Women’s Commission. Earlier this year in February, he stirred a controversy after he termed the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government as “Taliban government,” according to News9. He was addressing the BJP workers in Mysuru when he cautioned them by saying, “If BJP workers become negligent, Taliban government will come to power.” Later, he defended his statement and said over “175 cases against 1,600 members of KFD and PFI” were withdrawn despite opposition from the police. How visitor passes are issued It is a general practice for academics, students, and general public to ask MPs for passes so they can observe how laws are made. In order to visit the Parliament, one must first submit a request in the name of the constituency member of parliament. Generally speaking, the MPs whose names are on the passes verify the identity cards that visitors present and do a security check before allowing them in. After that, the visitors must go through a series of rigorous security checks conducted by the guards and electronic devices stationed at the Parliament’s entrance. Given that Sagar Sharma, one of the intruders, obtained the visitor’s permit under Pratap Simha’s name, the police will investigate whether the trespassers had faked their intentions while seeking their passes. The Lok Sabha security breach Manoranjan D and Sharma jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the chamber of the Lok Sabha around 1 pm today. Footage showed Sagar, wearing a dark blue shirt, leaping across desks and heading towards the Speaker’s chair, while Manoranjan sprayed yellowish smoke from one of the canisters. The intruders apparently raised slogans, “Tanashahi nahi chalegi (Dictatorship won’t be accepted).”

#WATCH | An unidentified man jumps from the visitor's gallery of Lok Sabha after which there was a slight commotion and the House was adjourned. pic.twitter.com/Fas1LQyaO4

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2023

Both men, however, were overpowered by Lok Sabha MPs and security staff. They were later detained by the police. One of the intruders’ Aadhaar card with a Lucknow address was discovered by security personnel, reported Hindustan Times. While this happened inside Lok Sabha, outside Parliament a man and a woman were also detained with coloured smoke canisters. Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and other senior officers visited the Parliament House complex to take stock of the matter, as per Indian Express. Security has been beefed up in the area following the incident and visitors’ entry to the Lok Sabha has been restricted temporarily, the report said. BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal who was presiding over the chair of Speaker when the breach occurred said, “Certainly, there is a loophole,” adding, “At first, I thought a person might have fallen but when the second person started coming down, all of us became cautious.” Providing an account of the breach , Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Two young men jumped from the gallery and something was hurled by them from which gas was emitting. They were caught by MPs, (and) they were brought out by security personnel.” “The House was adjourned till 2 pm. This is certainly a security breach because today we observed the death anniversary of people who sacrificed their lives in 2001.” An hour later, the business resumed, with Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla saying, “A thorough investigation of the incident that took place during zero hour, is being done. Essential instructions have also been given to Delhi Police. In the primary investigation, it has been found that it was just a smoke and there is no need to worry about the smoke.”

#WATCH | Lok Sabha security breach | Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla says "A thorough investigation of the incident that took place during zero hour, is being done. Essential instructions have also been given to Delhi Police. In the primary investigation, it has been found that it was… pic.twitter.com/GPMPAoyeLk

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2023

More from Explainers

Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar Giorgio Armani will: Who will get the inheritance? What happens to his fashion empire?

Notably, the breach also comes on a day when the country is observing the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, which resulted in the deaths of six Delhi police officers, two parliamentary security personnel, and a gardener. Intruders identified According to the police, at least one of the men who jumped into the chamber is linked to Simha’s constituency. Manoranjan, 35, is a Bachelor of Engineering graduate from Mysore Vivekanand University in Bengaluru and his father stays in Mysore’s Vijaynagar. The man and woman detained outside the Parliament are identified as 42-year-old Neelam, who hails from Haryana’s Hisar, and 25-year-old Amol Shinde of Maharasthra’s Latur area.