 "Lalit Jha, Lalit Mohan Jha")
Lalit Mohan Jha, the alleged 'mastermind' behind the Parliament security breach, was arrested by the Delhi Police on Thursday night. Jha, a key accused, is believed to have orchestrated the well-planned intrusion into the Lok Sabha, as reported by news agency PTI.
The incident, which occurred on the 22ns anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, involved six individuals, with four of them being charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged terrorism.
Who is Lalit Mohan Jha?
Belonging to the Burrabazar locality in Kolkata, Lalit Mohan Jha used to teach local children. Several of Jha's neighbours said that he was a quiet person who kept to himself. However, he left the area two years ago.
One of his neighbours said, "He was known as a teacher, used to teach local students. A few years back, he came to the area and was living alone. He hardly used to interact with locals. At times he would have tea at my stall. He used to keep a very low profile. He suddenly left the area two years ago and never returned.".
Another neighbour told PTI, that Jha's father was a watchman in the area and he had a brother. Jha is said to have moved to Baguiati in North 24 Parganas district two years ago.
More From This Section
During interrogation, the apprehended accused revealed that they wanted to enact revolutionary Bhagat Singh's action of throwing bombs inside the Central Assembly during British rule in India, sources in the Delhi Police told PTI.
Jha was also briefly associated with an NGO in Kolkata, according to a Times of India (ToI) report.
The Kolkata connection of Lalit Jha sparked a political debate in the state. Sukanta Majumdar, president of the West Bengal BJP, has claimed that Lalit Jha was associated with a TMC leader. Majumdar posted two photos of Lalit Jha with TMC leader Tapas Roy on X (formerly Twitter).
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 investigation into the connivance of the leader? @AITCofficial @TapasRoyAITC @abhishekaitc #shameontmc pic.twitter.com/1PIVnnbGx9
— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) December 14, 2023
However, the TMC leader denied any knowledge of Jha. "We are public representatives; several people click pictures with us. We don't know everybody in person," he explained.
Lalit Mohan Jha's arrest
Lalit Mohan Jha, accompanied by an associate, turned himself in at the Kartavya Path Police station. He was later handed over to the Delhi Police Special Cell, which is in charge of the investigation.
Police investigations revealed that Jha had allegedly shared a video of the attack with an associate via WhatsApp. However, at the time of arrest, no mobile phone was recovered from Jha.
"It was a well-planned attack on Parliament," stated the police after the initial interrogation of the four accused.
The four accused are facing charges under various sections, including punishment for a terrorist act, conspiracy, trespass, and obstruction of public officials.
Initial arrests
The Delhi Police had already arrested the two accused who jumped into the Lok Sabha and set off smoke canisters, and two other protestors from the Parliament's periphery on December 13, following the incident. They have been sent to seven-day police custody and reported PTI.
The fifth accused was nabbed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on the following day.
What was the motive of the accused behind the attack?
According to India Today, the accused claimed to share a common ideology and aimed to "give a message to the government." Their discontent with issues such as the farmers' protest, ethnic conflicts in Manipur, and unemployment is said to have prompted them to carry out the act.
The group, consisting of six individuals, connected through social media and joined a 'Bhagat Singh fan page' on Facebook.
"They wanted to commit an act that could draw the country's attention," said police officials.
(With agency input)
