Why did the intruders breach Parliament? Was it to protest against unemployment?

On Wednesday (13 December), Lok Sabha was holding its Zero Hour during the Winter Session proceedings when all of a sudden two people, later identified as Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, jumped into the chamber, releasing coloured smoke from gas canisters. At the same time, another two individuals – Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi – were detained from the premises of the Parliament as they yelled slogans and released yellow-coloured gas.

The four , plus their other accomplice, have now been arrested and the police are on the lookout for a sixth individual connected to the well-executed plot. Moreover, the authorities have registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Parliament security breach.

But what was the reason behind the security breach, which took place on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack? Here’s what we know of the motive behind the attack.

Frustration over unemployment

Shortly after the Parliament breach took place, the question everyone was asking was why these individuals chose to undertake such a step. One of the reasons that can be gleaned from their statements as well as from their families is unemployment.

Mysuru resident Manoranjan D (33), who was one of the individuals who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber, holds an engineering degree, but is not employed at the moment. According to his father, he was involved in farming. “If my son has done anything good, of course, I support him but if he has done something wrong, I strongly condemn it. What he has done is punishable. Let him be hanged if he has done something wrong to the society,” said Devraj Gowda, Manoranjan’s father outside his Vijayanagar residence in Mysuru.

Similarly, Neelam Devi, who was nabbed from the premises of the Parliament complex, was also reportedly frustrated with her state of unemployment. Her family, hailing from Jind, told the media that she had completed the research programme MPhil and had also cleared central examinations mandatory to get a teaching job, but was unable to acquire one. “She is highly qualified, but wasn’t getting a job. She was so stressed because of this that she often used to say that I should just die as despite studying so much, I am unable to earn two meals,” her mother Saraswati was quoted as telling NDTV.

Read more on the Parliament breach

Neelam’s brother, Ramniwas, added that she had even cleared the National Eligibility Test. “She had completed her BA, MA, MPhil and had cleared NET, but was still unemployed. She moved to Jind six months ago and was preparing for the Secondary Teachers Eligibility Test,” he said.

He further added that Neelam often raised the issue of unemployment at protests. She also took part in the year-long farmers protest near Delhi demanding the repeal of three farm bills.

Amol Shinde, who had accompanied Neelam outside the Parliament, was also frustrated and depressed. His mother revealed that he had been depressed due to his failure to clear the Army recruitment. “We don’t know what caused him to do this but he had been feeling dejected as, despite his efforts, he wasn’t getting in. ‘What’s the use of my education and preparation if I can’t get in?’ he used to say.”

Farmers protest, suppressing dissent

But it appears that it wasn’t just joblessness that was the reason for the six to carry out the breach at Parliament. In fact, one of the accused when being dragged away from the premises was quoted, “We do not belong to any organisation. We are students and we are unemployed. Our parents work as labourers, and farmers, and some are small shopkeepers. An attempt is being made to suppress our voices.”

Moreover, police officials revealed that during interrogations, Amol had stated that the group was upset over issues like the farmers’ protest, Manipur crisis and hence carried out the act. “They had the same ideology and hence decided to give a message to the government. The security agencies are trying to ascertain if they were instructed by anyone or any organisation,” an official told news agency PTI.

A well-planned breach

Police officials investigating the breach have revealed that the group meticulously planned the incident before carrying it out in 13 December.

The six accused, one is still on the run, had all met online on social media platforms and were members of a club known as the ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’. Initial investigations have revealed that they first met in Mysuru months ago and this is when they discussed methods to highlight their plight to the government.

Later, they finalised on the date and Manoranjan was tasked with getting visitors’ passes from BJP MP Pratap Simha , who represents the Mysuru constituency. They then reached Delhi on 10 December and headed to Vicky Sharma’s house in Gurugram, where they stayed until Wednesday. Furthermore, on the day of the breach, they distributed the coloured canisters among themselves at India Gate.

Around 11 am on 13 December, Manoranjan and Sagar entered Parliament House and later jumped into the chamber, shocking all present there. Meanwhile, Neelam and Amol unleashed chaos on the premises while their accomplice Lalit Jha tasked the disturbance and uploaded it to various social media platforms.

Following the security breach, the area around Parliament has turned into a fortress with the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, while the Delhi Police’s Special Cell has been tasked with the investigation.

Additionally, heightened security protocols have also been deployed at the premises in order to avoid such an incident in the future.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has also constituted an enquiry panel headed by DG CRPF Anish Dayal Singh to investigate the security breach. According to a statement by the ministry, the committee will probe the reasons behind the security breach, identify lapses and submit its report with recommendations, including suggestions on improving security at the Parliament, at the earliest.

With inputs from agencies