Smoke Canisters in Lok Sabha: Warning or Attempts to Turn The Situation?

Sadia Tasneem | 15 December 2023
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On 13 December 2023, on the anniversary of the deadly terror attack on the Indian parliament, two intruders attacked Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament with smoke canisters. Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan were the two people who have been identified as being involved in the Lok Sabha incident. As a guest of PrathapSimha, a member of the Mysuru Lok Sabha, those had entered the visitor's gallery. 

According to the presented people, the two men leaped from the visitors' gallery into the house's well. It's unclear what their motivation is. The incident happened during a meeting of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament for India. The session was briefly interrupted in both chambers before it was resumed. Eventually, security officers and vigilant MPs captured both of them. A man and a woman have also been taken into custody for setting off colored gas canisters as a form of protest outside the parliament. Five people have been arrested so far for this incident according to news sources. Arrested five accused's statements during primary interrogation referred that, they aimed to draw the attention of the government to unemployment, inflation, issues of Manipur, perversion, and other social problems. Apparently, they are inspired from Bhagat Singh and Che Guevara to raise voice for people according to their statement and action.

This controversial incident in Lok Sabha agitated the common people along with the politicians of India. While some of the MPs affiliated with the ruling BJP of Lok Sabha blamed the opposition, following the incident the opposition demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make a statement regarding the security breach in the Lok Sabha. General public doubts that, if there are other reasons behind this security breach. When such an incident occurs in a place surrounded by tight security like the Parliament, the safety of the common people remains in question. According to general people, this method is just an intention of the ruling party by staging drama of breaching security to keep the people away from the practice of democracy and deprive people of their rights. Some of the people contemplate, this incident should be acknowledged as a warning to solve the burning issues immediately and remove arbitrary, where other blame opposition party for this.

Throwback to the incident of 2001, it was an intrusion into one of the safest locations in India. The 13 November 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament, would have been far worse if India hadn't been blessed with a stroke of luck and bravery. The event included gunshot exchanges, a suicide bomber exploding, and casualties. The entire nation was startled by the actions of a suicide squad consisting of five terrorists who carried Kalashnikov guns, grenades in their bags, and a murderous mindset. In front of the Parliament House, the assailants' human bomb exploded.

By the end, all five of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were dead. In the firefight, six security guards—who had displayed remarkable bravery—as well as a gardener lost their lives. Eighteen more people were hurt, including a TV cameraman and twelve security guards. Though the recent attack was all smoke, the aims of the intruders are unknown and the controversial discussion over the ruling and the opposition would bury the situation similarly to previous political issues.  

In addition, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a supporter of Khalistan, vowed to attack Parliament at the time of the incident. Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, declared in a video that there will be an occurrence at the Indian Parliament by December 13. 

Similar to previous incidents, which referred to the diversion of the situation into a terrorist one or the burial of matter with a new one. Protest against the Jammu and Kashmir Act, the rights of Jammu and Kashmir people, Manipur issues, and all other issues are hidden behind this incident of smoke canisters in the Lok Sabha. The way this incident has buried other issues and diverted people's attention to the attack as a terrorist one remains questionable towards the practice of democracy. 

Sadia Tasneem is the Research Assistant at CGS

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