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'Intruders were heading to PM's seat'

December 13, 2023 16:41 IST

'Many MPs felt they were going to take out some weapon and shoot us all.'

IMAGE: Dr S Senthilkumar, the DMK MP from Dharmapuri, shot this photograph of the incident. Photograph: @DrSenthil_MDRD/X
 

Malook Nagar, the Bahujan Samaj Party's member of the Lok Sabha from Bijnor, helped to nab one of the two intruders who had leapt into the Lok Sabha from the visitor's gallery.

In a conversation with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Nagar describes the incident as "a complete security failure".


It was around 12.54 pm when I heard a huge sound, as if someone has fallen in the seating area for members of the Lok Sabha.

At this moment, Khagen Murmu, the BJP member from Malda Uttar in West Bengal, was speaking. He stopped his speech because of this noise.

I saw a man get up and stand on the benches, then he was jumping from one bench to another.

First, I felt this man had fallen from the visitor's gallery by mistake and hurt himself.

I was feeling sorry for this young man as I felt he must have been injured seriously after falling from the first floor.

But within no seconds another man also dropped from the first floor. And this time I realised this was not an accidental fall but a direct jump into the area where members of Parliament sit.

This was more evident as the first intruder, instead of being injured, was jumping from one bench to another.

By now every member realised that this was an act of sabotage and not an accidental fall as we all felt when we saw the first intruder drop onto the floor.

The second intruder along with the first headed straight towards the seat of the prime minister in the Lok Sabha.

Nobody knew what was happening, as everything was happening in a flash.

Nobody knew why these two intruders were running helter-skelter in Parliament, what was their motive?

Both of them were dodging the security officials and almost reached the Lok Sabha speaker's chair.

At this moment, the first intruder did something shocking.

He took out his shoe and soon there was gas emitted in the Lok Sabha.

This time all the MPs thought they were going to die.

No one had any idea what was happening as gas was emitting non-stop.

I think later he sprayed some smoke and all MPs had to cover their faces thinking some poisonous gas was being spread.

The only slogan one of the men shouted was 'Taanashahi nahi chalegi' (dictatorship won't be tolerated). I could not hear anything more than that in the utter confusion and chaos.

I have no idea whom he was targeting in his slogans because I could not hear the name of any politician.

In this chaos many members of Parliament felt that soon they were going to take out some weapon and shoot us all indiscriminately. Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened.

Then I, along with some members, jumped on the first intruder and pinned him to the ground.

Soon Parliament security officials joined in and arrested the other intruder too.

While leaving I could only hear that one of the intruder's name was 'Sagar' and some MP from the South had given him a Parliament pass.

I have no idea who gave these intruders Parliament passes and how they entered here with these canisters.

It was a complete security failure.

SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF