New Delhi, Dec 15: Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament security breach, who had been absconding, was arrested by Delhi Police on Thursday. He came to Kartavya Path police station on his own, where he was arrested. He was handed over to Special Cell which is investigating the incident.

 

“Jha had fled from the spot after making a video of the incident. He reached Nagaur in Rajasthan by bus. There he met his two friends and spent the night in a hotel. When he realized that the police were searching for him, he came to Delhi by bus After which he was arrested," ANI quoted Delhi police as saying.

Who is Lalit Jha?

He is from Bihar but was working as a teacher in Kolkata, the police said. It was Jha who shot the video of the protest outside the Parliament on his mobile phone and uploaded it on social media. Notably, he had absconded with the phones of four other accused before the incident on December 13.

Jha was inspired by legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, the police said. He allegedly shot videos of the accused deploying smoke canisters outside the parliament and handed over the videos to an NGO founder to ensure they get media coverage. The alleged mastermind was a general secretary of an NGO run by Nilaksha Aich, the founder to whom he had sent videos of the incident to ensure they were "safe".

Lalit Jha is described as a quiet man. He used to teach local students. A few years ago he came to Burrabazar in Kolkata alone and kept a low profile, he suddenly left the area two years ago, a tea stall owner in the neighbourhood told PTI.

Parliament security breach

In a major security breach on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on Wednesday, two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

Around the same time, two others, including a woman, raised slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters outside the Parliament premises, prompting police to round up the duo. Apart from them, Vishal and Lalit Jha were also involved in this conspiracy.

All six of them have been charged under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code. A case under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespassing), Section 153 (want only giving provocation with an intent to cause riot), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from the discharge of his duty) of the IPC was also registered in the matter.

Though Jha is said to be the mastermind of this incident, Delhi Police is suspecting that there may be a bigger conspiracy behind this incident.