"Keep Video Safe, Ensure Coverage": Parliament Breach Accused Told NGO Aide

The only accused who managed to flee after the massive breach in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Lalit Jha from Bihar, had sent a video of two of his accomplices deploying canisters outside Parliament to the founder of an NGO from Kolkata and asked him to ensure media coverage, sources have told NDTV.

Officials said Jha shot videos of Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde using canisters containing yellow and red smoke and shouting slogans against "dictatorship" even as two other accused, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery and deployed canisters there.

While the other four accused were arrested, Jha made use of the commotion, gathered all of their cellphones and fled the spot. Officials said that, after running away, Jha sent one of the videos to Nilaksha Aich, the founder of an NGO from Kolkata. Jha was also the general secretary of one of the NGOs run by Aich.

A screenshot of the chat, which is with NDTV, shows that Jha asked Aich, who appeared to be clueless about the Parliament breach, to ensure that the video is kept "safe" and covered widely by the media. 

"Media coverage dekhiye isko. Or Video safe rakhna aap. Jai Hind (Ensure media coverage for this. Keep the video safe)," Jha wrote to Aich after sending the video. 

Aich wrote back saying okay, and asking where the video was from.

Neelam Azad, Amol Shinde, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D have been arrested and charged under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, as well as sections related to criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity, among others, of the Indian Penal Code. 

Another accused, Vicky Sharma, and his wife have been detained for giving shelter to the others involved in the case at their house in Gurugram. All of the accused belonged to different states and had arrived in Delhi on Sunday, three days before the breach, which took place on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack. 

Lalit Jha is on the run and efforts are being made to trace him, police officials said.