Who Is Lalit Jha? The ‘Mastermind’ Behind Parliament Security Breach

Lalit Jha had been missing since the incident. He is from Bihar but was working as a teacher in Kolkata, the police said. On Thursday, he turned himself in at a police station at Kartavya Path near Parliament.Five men and a woman have been charged under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code.Jha was inspired by legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, the police said. He allegedly shot videos of the accused deploying smoke canisters outside the parliament and handed over the videos to an NGO founder to ensure they get media coverage. The alleged mastermind was a general secretary of an NGO run by Nilaksha Aich, the founder to whom he had sent videos of the incident to ensure they were “safe”.Lalit Jha is described as a quiet man. He used to teach local students. A few years ago he came to Burrabazar in Kolkata alone and kept a low profile, he suddenly left the area two years ago, a tea stall owner in the neighbourhood told PTI.On Wednesday, two men — Sagar and Manoranjan — smuggled smoke bombs into parliament after securing entry on a pass issued by a BJP MP’s office. They jumped into Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and set the smoke canisters off in the house, as MPs scurried around trying to catch them. Two others, Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde, who were unable to get a pass, held a protest outside the parliament building, shouting slogans and waving smoke canisters before they were caught.