Security breach in Parliament on 26/11 anniversary

A day when the country was paying tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks, the security personnel in Parliament Complex went into a tizzy on Wednesday afternoon after a security man of former prime minister Manmohan Singh went inside the Rajya Sabha with a sophisticated automatic weapon.

Shockingly, those manning the Rajya Sabha did not stop him.

Sources told MAIL TODAY that the breach occurred at 2 pm on Wednesday when ex-PM Manmohan Singh was heading towards the Rajya Sabha and the security man of a "close protection team" of the Special Protection Group (SPG) was walking alongside.

The source said: "The security man was carrying a weapon - MP5 - but he was not stopped by those on guard. Moreover, he accompanied Manmohan Singh to his designated seat inside the Rajya Sabha."

A Marshal coming from inside the Rajya Sabha noticed the security violation and he asked him to immediately leave the premises. The Marshal also called other security personnel besides informing seniors of the presence of a security person with a sophisticated weapon.

"This led to panic and the security man was taken outside the Rajya Sabha. Senior officials reached the spot and informed him about Parliament protocol," the source added.

Sources said that the seniors learnt that the lapse blame rested with the Marshal who was the in-charge. However, instead of initiating any action against him, they are trying to push the matter under the carpet.

A "close protection team" of SPG, headed by a DIG rank officer, shadows the prime minister and other senior leaders to provide them the innermost ring of protection. The SPG, raised after former PM Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984, throws security layer in ring formats at their office-cum residences.

Interestingly last month, a CRPF jawan of Parliament Duty Group accidentally fired from his sophisticated weapon inside the Kot room (firearms storage room) near Iron Gate Number 8 of the Parliament Complex. Fortunately, no one was injured.

On October 29, a Rajya Sabha security assistant director lost his wireless set, meant to monitor VVIP movements during a visit to the Vigyan Bhavan. A passerby later found the set in the Tughlaq Road area and handed it over to the Delhi Police.