Parliament security breach key accused Lalit Mohan Jha held; what neighbors in Kolkata told about him?

On Thursday evening, Lalit Mohan Jha, a key accused implicated in the breach of Parliament security, was apprehended, as per information from police sources.

Jha, accompanied by another individual, surrendered at the Kartavya Path Police station in the national capital, where he was subsequently handed over to the special cell. 

"Lalit Jha was arrested upon reaching Kartavya Path Police station and was subsequently handed over to the Special Cell, which is actively investigating the incident," reported an officer.

During a security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on Wednesday, two individuals—Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D—leaped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour. They released yellow smoke from canisters, shouted slogans, and were eventually subdued by Members of Parliament.

Simultaneously, two others, including a woman, raised slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters outside the Parliament premises. This led the police to apprehend the duo.

Neighbors remember Jha as a reserved person

Neighbors of Lalit Jha, the alleged mastermind behind the Parliament security breach, expressed surprise upon seeing his images on news channels. They remembered him as a reserved individual who rarely interacted with the community in Burrabazar, Kolkata.

'He used to teach local students'

Papun Shaw, the owner of a tea stall on Rabindra Sarani in the Burrabazar area, identified Jha as a 'teacher' who vanished two years ago. Shaw recalled, "He used to teach local students and lived alone in the area. He kept a low profile, hardly interacting with locals. He abruptly left two years ago and never returned."

'His father worked as a watchman'

Rajesh Shukla, Jha's neighbor in Burrabazar, mentioned, "He rarely spoke to locals and taught children at his rented place. His father worked as a watchman, and they were two brothers." Shukla revealed that Jha and his family shifted to Baguiati in the North 24 Parganas district two years ago.

The Delhi Police special cell has reached out to Neelaksh Aich, the founder of an NGO, for more information about Jha. Aich mentioned meeting Jha in April at a seminar in Kolkata and receiving a video from him related to the incident after the news broke.

Kolkata connection of Lalit Jha triggers a political debate

The Kolkata connection of Lalit Jha triggered a political debate, with West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar accusing TMC MLA Tapas Roy of having a close association with Jha. 

In response, Roy denied any knowledge of Jha and accused the BJP of attempting to divert attention from their failures. Meanwhile, the police have filed terrorism charges against the four individuals arrested in the Parliament security breach, describing it as a "well-planned attack on Parliament." 

Jha has burnt the mobile phones of his associates

Meanwhile, police sources Lalit Jha has burnt the mobile phones of his associates along with his friend Mahesh after fleeing to Rajasthan's Kuchaman. Ahead of the incident, all four accused had handed over their mobile phones to Jha so that crucial investigation details cannot get into police hands as they were anticipating their arrest.

In Kuchaman, Jha met his friend Mahesh, who got him a room for the night. Both of them had met through Facebook, as revealed by Jha during his interrogation.

However, Delhi police are verifying all the claims made by Jha.

Jha was also present outside the parliament and captured the video of two of his accomplices with the intent to publicise it.