Security alert at Parl, teen held scaling complex wall

A 19-year-old youth described by officials as “mentally incoherent” was apprehended while attempting to scale the boundary wall of Parliament early Friday morning.

The incident took place around 5.50 am when the suspect, identified as Ram Kumar Bind from Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district, was spotted near the wall and promptly intercepted by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Delhi Police.

The security breach comes just a day after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die following a stormy monsoon session.

DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said the individual appeared mentally unstable and was immediately taken into custody. “He revealed his identity as Ram Kumar, aged around 20, from Uttar Pradesh. Further interrogation and verification are in progress,” he said.

According to officials, sleuths from the Intelligence Bureau and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police are now questioning the accused to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident. A senior CISF officer told The Tribune the intruder was stopped before he could enter the Parliament complex and was handed over to Delhi Police for verification of his antecedents. Preliminary questioning revealed that he worked in a factory in Surat, Gujarat, he added.

The CISF, which guards airports and other vital installations, assumed charge of Parliament security in 2023. This transition followed a major breach inside the Lok Sabha chamber, when two persons jumped from the public gallery and released canisters emitting yellow smoke, causing panic among MPs.