• Parliament breach: 7-day police custody for 'mastermind' Lalit Jha

    National
    Parliament breach: 7-day police custody for 'mastermind' Lalit Jha
    Jha, who had been evading capture since the breach, turned himself up to the Delhi Police...

    Digital Desk: Lalit Jha, who is suspected of being the mastermind behind Wednesday's incursion into Parliament, has been placed under police custody for a seven-day interrogation period. The police had requested a 15-day detention of him.

    Last night, Jha, who had been evading capture since the breach, turned himself up to the Delhi Police.

    Lalit Jha, a Bihar native, was employed as a teacher in Kolkata, according to the police. He was characterized as a calm man by his Kolkata neighbours and acquaintances.

    A tea stall owner in the neighbourhood told news agency PTI that he relocated to Kolkata's Burrabazar district on his own a few years ago and has maintained a low profile since then. He said that two years ago, he abruptly left.

    The cops said that Jha took inspiration from the great independence fighter Bhagat Singh.

    It is said that he recorded the accused using smoke canisters outside the parliament and forwarded the footage to Nilaksha Aich, the head of the non-governmental organization he was involved with. Jha purportedly wished to guarantee that the videos were seen by the public.

    According to the severe anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other pertinent Sections of the Indian Penal Code, five men and one woman have been charged in this case thus far.

    Sagar and Manoranjan, two guys, entered the new parliament on a permit provided by the office of a BJP MP and smuggled smoke canisters on Wednesday, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 parliament attack that left nine people dead.

    During Zero Hour, they leaped from the gallery into the House chamber, setting off the canisters throughout the house and creating a flurry of activity as MPs scrambled to apprehend them.

    Unable to obtain a pass, two more people, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, staged a protest outside the parliament building where they waved smoke canisters and yelled slogans until they were apprehended.