Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Delhi police on Monday detained three suspects for breaching security at the Delhi Assembly and placing a bouquet and garland in Speaker’s vehicle parked on the porch before fleeing.According to officials, a SUV car bearing an Uttar Pradesh registration number of Pilibhit area, entered the Assembly premises after breaking through the Gate number 2 at around 2pm, triggering a high alert.According to police, the vehicle has been recovered and the detainees are being interrogated.What we know so farThe accused placed a bouquet and a garland inside the official vehicle of the Speaker that was parked in the porch of his office in the Assembly premises, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.Later, the bouquet and the garland were removed and kept near the porch due to suspicion that they may have explosive material, they said.Nothing suspicious was found on the Assembly premises after multiple police teams, along with a bomb disposal squad, conducted a thorough sweep of the area to rule out any threat. “Nothing suspicious was found. However, the forensic teams visited the place twice to understand the sequence of the events and to collect evidence from the spot,” officials said.According to PTI, forensic experts also examined the bouquet.“The entire incident happened very quickly, in just five to seven minutes,” the officer said.“It is too early to comment on the motive behind the entire incident. Our teams are questioning him. Motive is not clear. But we are investigating the entire matter from every possible angle,” a police officer, who requested anonymity, said and mentioned the recent bomb threats sent to the Assembly.Delhi Police Chief Satish Golchha and Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav also reached the site soon after the incident and supervised the investigation.Yadav said that the police checked CCTV camera footage in and around the area to reconstruct the sequence of events.“Just after the incident and information from the officers about the incident, alerts were flashed to adjoining states and local police stations, with details of the suspected car.“Several barricades and pickets were erected on roads in the entire national capital, and the car was spotted near the Roop Nagar police picket. The car driver was trying to flee by overspeeding, but the alert staff stopped him and detained him,” the officer said.Why the breach happened?According to officials, the car was being driven in a highly reckless manner and was approaching from Delhi University side. The driver took a sharp left turn, rammed the vehicle into the main gate, broke through the boom barriers and entered the Assembly premises.Sources told PTI that, since it is not the main gate, one CRPF personnel was deployed at the gate. The security is relatively less around it when the House is not in session.Gate No. 2 of Delhi Assembly is designated as the VIP gate and is opened only during important events, while Gate No. 1 and the service gate are used for regular access.The police said that the Assembly building has four gates, with Gate 1 being the main entrance gate. Most CRPF personnel are deployed there. Another senior officer said that a total of 22 CRPF personnel and 70 to 80 police personnel are deployed at Vidhan Sabha every day.According to sources, since it is not the main gate, one CRPF personnel was deployed at the gate. The security is relatively less around it when the House is not in session.The incident raised “serious” security concerns, with authorities treating it as a potential “security breach”, a Delhi Secretariat official said.“It is particularly concerning that the car managed to break through a closed gate and remained parked inside the premises for nearly five minutes without raising any alarm,” said Kanchan Azad, Deputy Director, Media head to the Speaker.The incident comes close on the heels of bomb threats received by the Assembly during the recently concluded budget session.
