Got a Call From Cops, Says Man Whom Parliament Mastermind Sent Video

Kolkata:

Nilaksha Aich — a former associate of parliament security breach mastermind Lalit Jha — who received a video of the breach from him, has told reporters that he has received only one call from the Delhi Police. Jha, who is on the run, has made the video of the breach and circulated it among people he knew.

“Yes one person called me and he said he was from Delhi Police but apart from that no one has called me,” said the man from Kolkata, who runs an NGO. “If any security force wants to call me and if my help is required to solve this then I am ready to do it. If the government needs me to help I am ready to do so,” he added.  

Five persons were arrested yesterday for the afternoon’s security breach in which two men got into the Lok Sabha and let off thick yellow smoke from canisters they smuggled in. 

Sagar Sharma was from Lucknow and D Manoranjan from Mysuru. The others n the group were Neelam from Hisar, and Amol from Latur, who were caught outside parliament with smoke canisters. The fifth person was Vicky Sharma. The sixth in the group was Lalit Jha, who, the police say, masterminded the breach.

All six reportedly wanted to be inside Parliament to pop the smoke canisters together but only  two of them managed to secure passes.

The police said Jha, a teacher, was a regular at the home of Nilaksha Aich. A Bhagat Singh fan, Jha reportedly used his methods to draw attention to their problems — unemployment and ethnic violence in Manipur. He has been traced till Neemrana on Rajasthan-Haryana border.

Police sources said Jha had summoned Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan (who were caught inside the Lok Sabha) and Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde (outside Parliament), as well as Vicky Sharma, at whose house they met – to Gurugram yesterday morning.

Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan had managed to secure visitors’ passes by request from BJP MP Prathap Simha’s office.

A lawmaker from Mysuru, Mr Simha, has denied any connection, apart from asking the Lok Sabha Secretariat, which is supposed to screen visitors, to issue passes.

Sources say the six accused — all associated with a radical social media group — first met in Chandigarh during the farmers’ protest. Nine months ago they started planning the security breach — the worst in Parliament’s history  since the 2001 terror attack.

Nilaksha Aich, though, said they had met at an event at the Indian Association Hall in April.

“I saw him there and he was helping out at the event. I got introduced to him there and I approached him to join our organisation as well,” he said.

Lalit Jha’s family is based in Kolkata. His family members say they haven’t been able to contact him either.