"It is pre-planned incident...": Mamata Banerjee on Parliament security breach

NEW DELHI: Following the Parliament security breach, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dismissed alleged links between the state and mastermind Lalit Jha on Sunday and said that the incident was "pre-planned". The security breach happened on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 terror attack on the Parliament.

"There is nothing related to Bengal. It is like someone stayed in Bengal, Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan or other states. It is a pre-planned incident and it is also a total failure of the IB also.

In the new Parliament there are huge security lapses," Banerjee said. Earlier, BJP's West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar alleged a close link between TMC leader Tapas Roy and the accused mastermind of the Parliament security breach, identified as Lalit Jha. Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, the BJP state chief shared a photograph in which the TMC leader is purportedly seen alongside the absconding mastermind.

The BJP leader also called for an investigation into the alleged links of the TMC leader with the accused. "Lalit Jha, the mastermind of the attack on our Temple of Democracy, had been in close association with TMC's Tapas Roy for a long time... Isn't this proof enough for an investigation into the connivance of the leader?" Majumdar posted from his X handle.

Delhi Police sources revealed earlier that Lalit Jha, the accused in Parliament security breach incident, destroyed five mobile phones before arriving in Delhi, and was misleading the investigating team. Before the security breach, the four accused had handed over their phones to Jha to prevent crucial investigation details from reaching the police, anticipating their arrest.

"Lalit Jha destroyed not four but five mobile phones after fleeing to Rajasthan's Kuchaman," said police sources.

Earlier, Patiala House Court here on Saturday granted seven-day custody of Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the Parliament security breach case, to the Police. Delhi Police sought 15 days of custodial remand of accused Mahesh Kumawat. He is the sixth accused arrested in the case. The other five accused including Lalit Jha have already been taken into police custody.

Two people--Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D--jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.

Outside it, in another incident, two protestors -- Neelam (42) and Amol (25) -- protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. However, all four were sent to seven-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday.