8 suspended for Parliament security breach
What's the story
The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Thursday suspended eight personnel for lapses that led to a security breach a day ago.
The suspended personnel were identified as Rampal, Arvind, Vir Das, Ganesh, Anil, Pardeep, Vimitt, and Narender, India Today reported.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting in Parliament, which was attended by Anurag Thakur, Piyush Goyal, Prahlad Joshi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Two individuals jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery on Wednesday, setting off yellow smoke bombs and shouting slogans.
They were overpowered by MPs and security personnel. Simultaneously, two others carried out a similar act outside Parliament before being arrested.
The incident came on the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament attack, wherein five terrorists killed eight security personnel and a gardener.
Details
Parliament's security protocols overhauled
While four accused were arrested in the Parliament complex, another accused was arrested later on Wednesday. A sixth suspect is reportedly absconding.
The accused have been charged under IPC sections 120B, 452, 153, 186, and 353 along with Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Additionally, Parliament's security protocols have been revamped to minimize contact between MPs and visitors.
Statement
Need to be careful while issuing passes: Rajnath Singh
On Thursday, opposition MPs chanted slogans demanding an answer from the government for the breach. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the security of the Parliament complex is the Lok Sabha Secretariat's responsibility.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "We have to be careful about to whom we issue the passes (to enter Parliament). All precautions possible will be taken in the future."
Passes
BJP MP issued passes for intruders
Two of the six accused, Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, trespassed and set off yellow smoke bombs in Lok Sabha.
Manoranjan—hailing from Karnataka's Mysuru—obtained two visitors' passes from Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mysuru MP Prathap Simha to enter the House.
Simha told Birla that Manoranjan was in constant touch with his personal assistant to gain the passes, but he had no additional information.