The security breach in the Parliament is a grave matter that calls for an in-depth investigation, as well as an overhaul of the recently inaugurated complex’s security umbrella. Thankfully, the breach was limited to the intruders shouting slogans and hurling canisters with coloured smoke, and four out of five members so far accused of involvement in the plot to stage the spectacle, have been apprehended; it could have been much worse. However, questions remain about how the group, reportedly fans of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who bonded on social media, could go under the intelligence radar and plan, evade security checks, enter the House and execute the operation on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament. The timing of the operation and the ease with which the group executed it should embarrass the security establishment.
Further, despite such a huge security, no major action has been taken against anyone responsible for the breach. Further, the national media somehow tried to avoid reporting about the incident, showing their bias towards the ruling BJP. The penalties have to move higher up the food chain, given the magnitude of the incident, the nightmarish what-might-have-been scenario, and the systemic failures (that multiple checks failed to detect a smoke canister points to a systemic issue). A time-bound investigation must flesh out the details of the operation, so that there is no scope for conspiracy theories. The government has to address the opposition’s concerns while the latter must desist from politicising the security failure, although merely raising questions or asking for an explanation cannot and should not be construed as such. Also, the passes of intruders were reportedly issued by BJP MP Pratap Simha. Why has no action been initiated against him too?