Parliament security breach: Accused Lalit Jha’s father, brother express shock

PTI, Dec 16, 2023, 9:45 AM IST

Lalit Jha (centre), key accused in the recent Parliament security breach, being produced at the Patiala House Court, in New Delhi (Credit: PTI)

Shambhu Jha, the elder brother of Lalit Mohan Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament security breach, has expressed shock over the incident, stating that the entire family is still in a state of disbelief.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, on Wednesday, two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during the Zero Hour, released yellow-coloured smoke from canisters and shouted slogans, before being overpowered by the MPs.

Lalit was arrested in New Delhi on Thursday evening.

“We don’t know how he got involved in all this. He always stayed away from trouble. He was a calm and quiet kid since childhood and was very introvert. We knew he was involved with NGOs and, apart from being a private tutor, we are really shocked to see his images on television channels,” Shambhu told reporters.

Since Wednesday night, Shambhu’s phone has not stopped ringing, with both police and relatives inquiring about the whereabouts of Jha.

“We last saw him on December 10 when we left for our hometown in Bihar. He came with us to see us off at Sealdah station. The next day he called us and said he was going to New Delhi for some personal work. That was the last time we spoke with him,” he said.

In Bihar’s Darbhanga, Lalit Jha’s father Devanand told reporters he could never imagine that his son would be involved in such an incident.

“I don’t know how this happened. His name never featured in any criminal case in the past… He was a very good student since childhood,” Devanand said.

“We have been living in Kolkata for the past 50 years. But, on the occasion of Chhath puja, we visit our ancestral village (Rampur Udai in Darbhanga). This year, however, we could not come to our village on time…. Later, we boarded a train from Kolkata for Darbhanga on December 10, but Lalit did not come with us,” he added.

Meanwhile, neighbours of Lalit were surprised to see his images on news channels, recalling him as a reserved individual who seldom engaged with the community at Burrabazar in Kolkata.

Papun Shaw, a tea stall owner at Rabindra Sarani in Burrabazar area, the business district of the city, identified Lalit as a teacher who disappeared two years ago.

“He was known as a teacher, used to teach local students,” Shaw said. “A few years ago, he came to the area and was living alone. He hardly used to interact with locals. At times, he would have tea at my stall. He used to keep a very low profile. He suddenly left the area two years ago and never returned.”