The meeting and discussions to boost deployment were unrelated to Pannun’s threat, a senior police officer said. Delhi Police has added 50 more personnel to its deployment in the last month.

The  smoke cans were hidden in shoes (image credit-Indian Express)

Officials in the Parliament Security Services and Delhi Police have revealed that the recent security breach in the Lok Sabha can be attributed to a number of factors, including a decrease in security staff, a reduction in the height of the visitors’ gallery from the House floor in the new Parliament building, an increase in the number of visitors, and the lack of shoe checks. It has also been reported that the Delhi Police security wing conducted a meeting to assess the security arrangements in and around Parliament, although this meeting was not specifically in response to the threat made by Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. However, it was confirmed that discussions were held during the meeting to increase deployment, resulting in an increase in personnel from 250 to 300 over the past month.

Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D arrived at the visitors’ gallery in Delhi Police just before 1 pm, as per sources. The gallery, which consists of six sections, is situated above the area where the MPs are seated. The front row of the gallery is approximately 10 and a half feet higher than the MPs.

According to officials, the current height of the Parliament House is lower than its previous height, which allowed men to jump. An officer stated that there is no substantial barrier or wall to prevent such incidents from occurring.

According to sources, there are usually 301 security officers stationed inside Parliament, but on Wednesday, only 176 were present. One officer mentioned that they have to verify the passes and IDs of all the students and people arriving in buses. Another officer revealed that the two men had concealed smoke canisters of unusual color inside their shoes, which are not typically checked. The officer explained that although there are scanners, metal detectors, and frisking procedures in place, shoes are not usually inspected. The officer speculated that the smoke bombs were made of plastic, which is why they were not detected by the machines. Additionally, the fact that the two men were recommended by a Member of Parliament helped them bypass the multiple layers of security.