- Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament smoke scare, surrendered to the Delhi Police yesterday.
- He is from Bihar but was working as a teacher in Kolkata, the police said.
- The alleged mastermind was a general secretary of an NGO run by Nilaksha Aich, the founder to whom he had sent videos of the incident to ensure they were “safe”.
- Lalit Jha burned the mobile phones of four accomplices in a bid to destroy evidence, Delhi Police sources told a media outlet.
Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament smoke scare, surrendered to the Delhi Police yesterday, a day after five others were arrested following the massive security breach that shocked the nation.
Lalit Jha had been missing since the incident. He is from Bihar but was working as a teacher in Kolkata, the police said. On Thursday, he turned himself in at a police station at Kartavya Path near Parliament.
Five men and a woman have been charged under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Jha was inspired by legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, the police said. He allegedly shot videos of the accused deploying smoke canisters outside the parliament and handed over the videos to an NGO founder to ensure they get media coverage. The alleged mastermind was a general secretary of an NGO run by Nilaksha Aich, the founder to whom he had sent videos of the incident to ensure they were “safe”.
Lalit Jha is described as a quiet man. He used to teach local students. A few years ago, he came to Burrabazar in Kolkata alone and kept a low profile, he suddenly left the area two years ago, a tea stall owner in the neighbourhood told the news agency.
On Wednesday, two men — Sagar and Manoranjan — smuggled smoke bombs into parliament after securing entry on a pass issued by a BJP MP’s office. They jumped into Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and set the smoke canisters off in the house, as MPs scurried around trying to catch them. Two others, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, who were unable to get a pass, held a protest outside the parliament building, shouting slogans and waving smoke canisters before they were caught.
Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament security breach burned the mobile phones of four accomplices in a bid to destroy evidence, Delhi Police sources told a media outlet. Jha, who surrendered to the cops last night, said he had kept the mobile phones of the two men who popped yellow smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha, and the man and woman did so outside Parliament.
Jha told police he filmed the latter incident, uploaded the clip to Instagram, and sent it to a Kolkata-based NGO to ensure media coverage, before fleeing the scene. On the run for 48 hours, he claimed to have travelled to Nagaur in Rajasthan to stay with two friends. Lalit Jha and another man, Mahesh, returned to Delhi Thursday evening, after which Jha gave himself up at a police station in central Delhi.
A teacher from Kolkata, Lalit Jha has been arrested and handed over to the Special Cell of Delhi Police, which is leading the investigation. His claim of having burned the phones is being verified.
(With inputs from agencies)
