A day after a man breached the premises of the Delhi Assembly, authorities have decided to strengthen security with new measures, including an integrated alarm system and regular mock drills. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting between Delhi Police and Assembly officials on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported.
An officer aware of the developments was quoted as saying by HT, "Police will install an integrated alarm system so that, in case of emergency, senior officers will receive the alert directly." The officer further said that mock security drills will be conducted on the premises every month.
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Five-minute breach raises questions
The move comes after a 37-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh allegedly rammed his SUV through barricades at the Assembly complex in Civil Lines on Monday. He managed to enter the premises, briefly sit inside the Speaker's car, and leave flowers in the boot before fleeing. The entire incident lasted around five minutes, raising serious concerns about security at one of the Capital's most guarded sites.
He was arrested two hours later from Roop Nagar.
Suspensions and security review
Following the breach, action was taken against personnel on duty. Two Delhi Police officers and one Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel deployed at Gate No. 2 were suspended.
"Based on prima facie findings, one sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector of the security unit of Delhi Police have been put under suspension," a police spokesperson said.
Senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia and Joint Commissioner Madhur Verma, revisited the site on Tuesday to reassess security arrangements. Gate No. 2, where the breach occurred, was manned by the CRPF, with only two guards present at the time.
Probe into motive continues
Investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the act. While police are examining a possible "terror" angle, the man's family has reportedly pointed to his mental health condition.
"He bought artificial flowers from Panipat and drove straight to the Assembly. If he was unwell, why was he travelling unsupervised?" a senior officer said.
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According to family members, he had been distressed after learning about his nephew's disappearance. "Sarabjit has been on medication for depression and other issues for seven to eight years now. There are times he gets aggressive and restless. Sadly, he found out about the case through a Facebook post. He got very upset and angry and came to visit us in Nangal on April 3-4," Harman was quoted as saying by HT.
"We tried to calm him, but the situation turned very bad. He had forgotten his medicines," added Harman.
