2023 Indian Parliament breach
On 13 December 2023, two intruders named Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery. One of the individuals jumped onto the tables where the Members of Parliament (MPs) were seated and released a yellow-colored smoke canister. The other individuals named Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi chanted slogans. This caused chaos and panic within the house, leading to the immediate adjournment of the session. Outside the building, two other individuals named Vishal Sharma and Lalit Jha were arrested for doing similar activities.
| 2023 Indian Parliament breach | |
|---|---|
| Location | 28.6176°N 77.2098°E |
| Date | 13 December 2023 Around 1 PM (UTC+5:30) |
| Weapon | Smoke bomb |
No. of participants | 6 |
| Defenders | Hanuman Beniwal and fellow MPs |
| Motive | Accused were frustrated because of unemployment and other issues like farmer protest or manipur crisis, etc. |
During this incident around hundred leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were present in the House.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party founder and MP Hanuman Beniwal along with some MPs caught and overpowered the intruder and became ‘hero’ or ‘saviour’ of the Parliament. Beniwal told the media soon after - “Herogiri unki utar di, [trans. taught them a lesson]”. Beniwal soon after incident questioned BJP government on national security and called it a ‘big security lapse’ and demanded a thorough investigation. He also highlighted the timing, coinciding with the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.
The breach later led to the suspension of 146 opposition parliament members on claims of causing disorder, 95 from the Lok Sabha, and 46 from the Rajya Sabha. The suspensions were later condemned by Human Rights Watch.