No need to recreate crime scene, says cop probing Parl security breach

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) There is no need to recreate the crime scene as the entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras, an official source told IANS in connection with the Parliament security breach case.

“We have collected the footage of all the CCTVs there and teams are scanning them. We have also questioned the accused on the basis of the footage and so far there is no need to recreate the crime scene,” said the source.

The two men, who managed to enter the Lok Sabha Hall from the visitors’ gallery on December 13, the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, have been identified as Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma, both residents of Mysore.

While Manoranjan is an Engineering student from Karnataka, Sharma’s visitor’s pass was issued on the recommendation of Karnataka’s Mysore BJP MP, Pratap Simha.

The other two, a man and a woman, who were protesting with coloured flares outside Parliament and were detained by Delhi Police, have been identified as Neelam, a resident of Jind in Haryana and Amol Shinde, a resident of Latur, Maharashtra.

The alleged mastermind of the Parliament security breach incident, Lalit Jha, who ran away with the phones of Manoranjan, Sharma, Neelam and Shinde, had surrendered at the Kartavya Path police station.

Following his interrogation, the police have also arrested Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the Parliament security breach, on charges of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, the official sources said.

On December 14, the same court had sent the four accused persons — Sagar, Manoranjan D, Neelam and Amol — to seven days’ police custody. All four were arrested from the Parliament premises on December 13.

Following the recovery of burnt phones on the instance of Jha, the police have decided to add Section 201 (destruction of evidence/disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code to the already registered FIR.

The case, registered against them and Jha at Parliament Street police station, includes Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespassing), 153 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), 186 (obstructing public servants in the discharge of public functions), and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from duty) of the IPC, along with Sections 16 and 18 of UAPA.

Jha after filming the protest by Amol and Neelam outside the Parliament also shared the video with several people and asked them to circulate it.

–IANS

ssh/rad