Who is Lalit Jha? The ‘Mastermind’ Behind Parliament Security Breach

Who is Lalit Jha? The ‘Mastermind’ Behind Parliament Security Breach

The final suspect in the Parliament security breach, Lalit Mohan Jha, was taken into custody on Thursday evening. According to reports, Jha turned himself into the police in front of the Kartavya Path Police station. After filming a video of the protest outside the Parliament, Jha—who is also referred to as the “mastermind” of this attack—was able to escape the scene. To find the main suspect, a huge manhunt was initiated.

One day after five people were taken into custody in connection with the enormous security breach that shook the country, Lalit Jha, the suspected mastermind of the Parliament smoke scare, turned himself into the Delhi Police yesterday.

Sagar Sharma (age 26) and Manoranjan D (age 34) broke major security during Wednesday’s Zero Hour when they leaped from the public gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber. They screamed slogans and let off colored smoke from canisters before three MPs managed to quiet them down. Amol Shinde, 25, and Neelam Devi, 37, simultaneously released colored smoke from canisters outside the Parliament building while yelling the phrase “tanashahi nahi chalegi.”

These are Five Lalit Jha Facts:

• On the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, Lalit Mohan Jha is named as the main suspect in the incident involving the security breach in Parliament.
• Jha took a bus to Nagaur, Rajasthan, where he stayed in a hotel overnight and caught up with pals. According to preliminary findings, he chose to take a bus back to Delhi after learning that the police were looking for him.
• Since the event, Lalit Jha had vanished from sight. While employed as a teacher in Kolkata, he is a native of Bihar, according to the police. At Kartavya Path police station, close to Parliament, he surrendered himself on Thursday.
• Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which prohibits terrorism, and some provisions of the Indian Penal Code, five men and one woman have been charged.
• The police claimed that Jha was influenced by the renowned independence fighter Bhagat Singh. He allegedly recorded the accused using smoke canisters outside the parliament and gave the footage to the founder of an NGO to guarantee media attention. The founder of the NGO, Nilaksha Aich, was the suspected mastermind; he had transmitted videos of the incident to her to make sure she was “safe.” The general secretary of the organization was also the founder.
• One person describes Lalit Jha as silent. He was a local teacher once. He arrived in Burrabazar, Kolkata, alone a few years ago and maintained a low profile. However, two years ago, he abruptly left the area, a tea stall owner in the neighborhood informed PTI.
• On Wednesday, Sagar and Manoranjan, two guys, entered parliament with smoke bombs after obtaining permission from the office of a BJP MP. As MPs scrambled to apprehend them, they leaped into Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and detonated the smoke canisters inside the parliament. Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, the other two, protested outside the parliament building, brandishing smoke canisters and yelling slogans till they were apprehended. Shinde was not granted a pass.

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Revolutionary warrior Bhagat Singh is alleged to have served as an inspiration to the suspects in the Parliament security breach. The authorities claim that all six of the accused interacted with one another after joining a social media fan page for Bhagat Singh.