Security Changes in the Parliament After, the Security Breach

 

A day after two men leaped from the visitors’ gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber, leading to a serious security breach, the Parliament building was devoid of sound on Thursday.

• no selfie-takers
• no MPs offering sound bites
• no throngs of people mingling around its premises.
• Visitors were strictly prohibited, with the exception of a group of schoolchildren who marched in funeral silence under the close supervision of the security personnel and accompanied by their teachers.

Many changes have been implemented as a result of a series of meetings to review security protocol along with fix vulnerabilities. MPs are now kept apart from the general public by having one of the new building’s entrance and exit gates set aside only for them.

Security pushed journalists closer to the old building and carefully barred the MPs’ entrance to make sure no one could obstruct their path, keeping the media at a distance. Any MP who wants to talk to the media now has to go through several barriers. Nobody is permitted to stand in the corridors for longer than a few minutes, not even media representatives.

It has been instructed for the MPs as well to slow down and refrain from running in and out of the gates. Members of Parliament were instructed to approach the “flap barriers slowly and wait till their image is captured by the Facial Recognition Device” in a Parliamentary bulletin that was released on Wednesday night, hours after the incident. Former Members of Parliament are also ineligible to enter Parliament.

Employees deal with shifts

Additionally, there have been changes to the Parliament staff’s entrance and exit gates. Many people asked for directions as they wandered aimlessly through the new building’s labyrinthine hallways. We had committed our route to memory for the Makar Dwar, which serves as the common entrance to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers. We have to figure it out again now,” a staff member stated.

There was a three-tiered security system in place for guests even before the incident. To verify their passes, barricades are positioned at least 200 metres away from the Parliament building.

Then, in order for pass holders to access the visitors’ gallery, they must pass through two friskings. There was increased security on Thursday, and the premises were patrolled by sniffer dog squads.

As they exited the chambers of both Houses and saw almost empty lobbies, a number of Members expressed gratitude for the calm environment. Security staff, who are under a great deal of strain following yesterday’s mishap, acknowledged that they were overworked and issued a warning that their current manpower is insufficient to guard the building’s numerous doors, which open both inside to the lobby and the chambers and outside to the grounds.