Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament smoke scare, surrendered to Delhi Police yesterday, a day after five others were apprehended in the aftermath of the huge security breach that shook the nation.
Lalit Jha had gone missing following the event. According to the police, he is from Bihar but was working as a teacher in Kolkata. He surrendered himself in at a police station on Kartavya Path, near Parliament, on Thursday.
Five men and one woman have been charged with terrorism-related offenses under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the authorities, Jha was inspired by famed independence fighter Bhagat Singh. He allegedly recorded the accused deploying smoke canisters outside the parliament and gave the videos to the founder of an NGO to secure media publicity. The alleged mastermind was the general secretary of Nilaksha Aich’s NGO, to whom he had transmitted videos of the incident to verify they were “safe.”
Lalit Jha is described as a reserved individual. He previously taught local students. He came to Burrabazar in Kolkata alone a few years ago and kept a low profile, but he abruptly left the area two years ago, according to a tea stall owner in the neighborhood.
On Wednesday, two guys, Sagar and Manoranjan, snuck smoke bombs into parliament using a permission granted by the office of a BJP MP. As MPs ran around trying to apprehend them, they jumped into Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and set off the smoke canisters. Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, who were unable to obtain a pass, staged a demonstration outside the parliament building, yelling slogans and waving smoke canisters before leaving.