Ex-security chief of Parliament points fingers at security lapse in LS

Rao said this kind of incident could have been avoided had the recommendations of a committee headed by LS Dy Speaker, appointed after the 2001 Parliament attack incident, been implemented

There was a serious security lapse in the Lok Sabha where two persons on Wednesday jumped into the chamber of the House from the public gallery and released yellow gas from canisters, said the former Officer on Special Duty of the Parliament Security V Purushotham Rao.

Speaking to PTI, Rao said this kind of incident could have been avoided had the recommendations of a committee headed by then Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, appointed after the 2001 Parliament attack incident, been implemented.

Rao said he shot one of the five assailants who attacked Parliament in 2001 and claimed that one of the recommendations made by the committee was to install a bullet-proof glass in the visitors gallery of Parliament.

 

"The standard operating procedures (SOP) have not been followed. I am not supposed to criticise anybody, but this is a lapse. This is a serious lapse. The SOP the standard operating procedures have not followed correctly," he said.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons today jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour and released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

Around the same time, two persons, including a woman, also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting slogans 'tanashahi nahi chalegi' outside the Parliament premises.

All four have been detained by security forces.

Rao was a DIG rank officer with CRPF and in-charge of security at the Parliament from 1999 to 2004.

He further said Members of Parliament should be very careful about letting people come into the visitor gallery.