The co-ordinated Parliament gas attack raises pressing questions

New Delhi: What can be termed as one of the major breaches of security in the national capital today, four Indian nationals entered into the highest security zone of the country the Indian Parliament.

According to the available information, 6 persons came into contact through social media but their coordinated aim was to jeopardise the working of the Indian Parliament giving a thumbs down to what was claimed to be one of the most secure places in the country.

The visitors' gallery of the Indian Parliament is a place where even a pen or paper is not allowed to be carried and has to be submitted just at the entrance of the Parliament gate.

How such smoke-emitting cans were carried inside the Indian Parliament in the socks or shoes of someone in the visitors' gallery is a question that the newly formed Special Investigative Team has to answer.

This attack also put a question mark on the lessons learnt from the terror attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.

The six persons involved in the attack have been taken to the Parliament Street police station where they are undergoing rigorous questioning by police officials and CRPF top brass.

According to the latest information, a massive hunt was launched to look out for the family members of the four persons involved to know the antecedents and the reason behind such a plot to disturb the Parliamentary system of the country.

Hang my son if he has done any wrong, the father of one of the attackers told the media on Wednesday.

The four people one of which was a lady from Hisar came to know each other through social media networks. They hatched a conspiracy to smoke the Parliament for reasons which are yet to be disclosed.

"What if instead of coloured gas somebody carried a poisonous gas instead? Who would have been answerable then," Members of Parliament were heard expressing their fear.

This breach also raised several pressing questions. The security agencies really need to address some pertinent questions now. As to how such heavy security deployed at the Parliament failed to nab any of the four? Why did the metal detectors fail? Why there were no other checkpoints for the visitors after entering the Parliamentary premises? It is also yet to be ascertained whether there was a political agenda attached to the gaseous attack.

An all-party meeting was convened by the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla just after the incident.

Congress claimed that the security breach had been sponsored by the BJP.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla ensured thorough enquiry apart from several steps being taken after a thorough review.

The entry of visitors has been suspended from tomorrow until further orders apart from heavy deployment of security personnel from tomorrow in and outside the Parliament.

According to source-based information, the six people teamed up only to raise concerns on burning issues like unemployment. But what now seems to be not a sporadic attack but a well-planned attack as they belonged from different backgrounds and from different cities and states.