Accused wanted to discredit democracy, get global attention

New Delhi: The December 13, 2023 Parliament security breach accused wanted to discredit India’s democracy, gain instant global fame, usurp power and achieve “richness and glory” by targeting the “very symbol of democracy”, according to the chargesheet filed in the court by Delhi Police. The accused first met on social media and planned their move for nearly two years before executing it last year on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack. According to the chargesheet, a source said, their first in-person meeting was held in February, 2022 at Mysuru.

Citing from the chargesheet, sources told PTI, that in total they held five meetings in Mysuru, Gurugram and Delhi to finalise their plan and arrive at a modus operandi. The chargesheet, spread over 1,000 pages, was filed before the Patiala House Court in June and the court took its cognisance last month. A supplementary was filed in July.

The chargesheet mentioned that the group of young people, led by Manoranjan D, a resident of Karnataka, met on social media. Manoranjan is among the six accused arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell, sources said. Manoranjan, according to the chargesheet, is suspected to be among the main conspirators of the parliament breach, who allegedly “instigated and motivated” the young people by promising them “richness, glory and wealth” and by targeting the “very symbol of democracy”. While citing the chargesheet, a source said that driven by his “ultra Maoist-inspired thinking” Manoranjan decided to target the Parliament building to gain immediate and lasting attention.

The source said the accused wanted to send out a wider message that the “Indian Democracy is ineffective and needs to be replaced”. The major security breach took place on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. The accused launched coordinated gas attack both inside and outside the parliament house during the Zero Hour on December 13, 2023. Two persons -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery and opened canisters that released yellow gas in the House. They also shouted slogans before parliamentarians overpowered them.

Outside the Parliament premises around the same time, two other accused -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad -- also sprayed coloured gases from canisters while shouting “tanashahi nahi chalegi (dictatorship won’t be allowed)” Manoranjan, Sagar Sharma, Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad were arrested on the same day as they were caught soon after their acts. Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat were arrested on December 15 and 16, respectively. All the accused are lodged in the Tihar jail. They have been booked under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code by the Delhi Police’s anti-terror unit, Special Cell.

Citing the charegsheet, a source said that Manoranjan dropped out of an engineering course and travelled to Combodia in 2014 where he stayed for eight months. The source said that after coming back to India, he travelled to Ladakh on a motorcycle in 2015, which “mirrors” the famous “Motorcycle Diaries” penned by Che Guvevara, a Cuban revolutionary communist icon. During his trip to Ladakh, a Chinese student, who was then studying at Hyderabad, also accompanied him as a pillion rider to Delhi, via Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Citing the chargesheet, the source further said the first meeting of the accused was held in February, 2022 in Mysuru at a flat of Manoranjan’s friend which was attended by 10 people including Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Shinde, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat. In this meeting, Manoranjan showed some videos of violent protests to the participants, and floated the idea of building an organisation. They discussed the idea of using the “protective gel” while executing their design inside and outside the Parliament, the source said. They also discussed usurping power using “tear gas previously used in March 2018 in Kosovo”, the source added.