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Parliament Security Breach LIVE: 8 On-Duty Staff Suspended from LS; Major Ruckus in House
Today, a major security breach occurred in the Parliament, causing chaos and concern among the lawmakers and officials. The breach led to the suspension of 8 on-duty staff members from the Lok Sabha (LS), and a major ruckus broke out in the House.
The security breach took place during a crucial session of the Parliament, where important discussions and debates were scheduled to take place. The breach has raised serious questions about the security measures in place and the safety of our elected representatives.
The suspended staff members are currently under investigation, and the authorities are working to determine how such a breach could have occurred. The incident has highlighted the need for a thorough review of the security protocols and systems within the Parliament premises.
Immediate Action Taken
As soon as the breach was discovered, the security personnel on duty acted swiftly to contain the situation. The 8 staff members involved were immediately suspended pending further investigation. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, along with other senior officials, held an emergency meeting to discuss the incident and devise a plan of action.
Additionally, the security agencies responsible for the Parliament’s safety have been directed to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing security arrangements. This includes assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the current systems and identifying areas for improvement.
Repercussions in the House
The security breach caused a major disruption in the House, with lawmakers expressing their outrage and concern over the incident. The breach not only compromised the safety of the Parliament but also raised questions about the vulnerability of our democratic institutions.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha assured the members that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the extent of the breach and the lapses in the security measures. He also emphasized the need for a collective effort to strengthen the security of the Parliament and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
Ensuring Future Security
The security breach has served as a wake-up call for the authorities to take immediate action to reinforce the security measures in the Parliament. Several steps are being considered to ensure the safety of the lawmakers and the smooth functioning of the House.
Firstly, there will be a comprehensive review of the security infrastructure, including the installation of advanced surveillance systems and the strengthening of access control mechanisms. This will help in detecting any potential threats and preventing unauthorized access to the premises.
Secondly, there will be an increased focus on training and equipping the security personnel with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle emergencies effectively. Regular drills and exercises will be conducted to ensure that the security staff is well-prepared to respond to any situation.
Lastly, there will be a close collaboration between the security agencies and intelligence departments to gather and analyze relevant information regarding potential security threats. This will enable proactive measures to be taken to prevent any untoward incidents.
PM security breach: SP Gurbinder Singh suspended for dereliction of duty
On January 5, 2022, Prime Minister Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any of the events, including a rally. The security breach ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections had led to a major political controversy.
Watch live: Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case continues as security guard’s notebook revealed
“That’s incorrect,” she replied.
Brittany Higgins has alleged her then-colleague Lehrmann raped her in the early hours of March 23, 2019, in the office of Liberal senator and then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds, for whom they worked as advisers.
Bruce Lehrmann and his legal team outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday.Credit: Nick Moir
Lehrmann has told the court the alleged assault “did not happen” and there was no sexual contact between the pair.
Higgins’ father visits CanberraThe court heard Higgins’ father, Matthew, and his partner Kellie Jago, visited Higgins in late March, 2019, a week after the alleged rape.
Kellie Jago and Matthew Higgins outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
In a message on March 26, tendered in court, Higgins told her father: “I’m fine but just wanted to give you a heads-up there was an incident with someone at work being inappropriate.”
Higgins’ father said that she did not elaborate until February 2020, when she told him she had been raped.
Both Matthew Higgins and Jago said Higgins was not her usual self when they saw her in Canberra in 2019, and her father said she was “very withdrawn”. Jago said she was “absent and fidgety”.
Earlier on Monday, the court heard Lehrmann allegedly claimed he had a job lined up at ASIO after he left his role in Reynolds’ office, according to notes by an Australian Federal Police agent.
AFP agent Rebecca Cleaves, who was based in Parliament House in 2019, read aloud from her notes on April 4, 2019, and said Reynolds’ then chief of staff, Fiona Brown, had told her that Lehrmann had been sacked.
“She said he was getting a job with ASIO and name-dropped,” the notes taken by Cleaves said. “So the chief of staff called ASIO and spoke to a person whom she knew. Confirmed he was not going to work there, and this person had never heard of him.”
Brown has yet to be called to give evidence in the case.
AFP agents Rebecca Cleaves, far left, and Katie Thelning, far right, leaving the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday.Credit: Nick Moir
The court has heard Lehrmann’s position as an adviser in Reynolds’ office was formally terminated on April 5, 2019, after he entered Parliament House after hours on March 23. His role was not terminated as a result of the sexual assault allegation.
CCTV footageThe court heard that Cleaves spoke to Higgins on April 1 about the alleged assault with a second AFP agent, Katie Thelning.
Cleaves made a request on April 3 to the Department of Parliamentary Services to “quarantine” CCTV footage from March 22 and 23.
She said she viewed the CCTV footage on April 16, 2019, but was not allowed to have a copy of it. Cleaves said there was a reluctance for a copy of the footage to be provided without an active investigation.
“It’s different with different departments and different areas,” Cleaves said. “Generally speaking, we can get CCTV footage very quickly. This one seemed to take a little bit longer and I was concerned about the time it was taking, considering the nature of the allegation.”
“There was definitely quite a few phone calls made at a higher level to ensure that that CCTV footage was allowed to be viewed by us.”
Justice Michael Lee asked if Cleaves meant different government departments, and Cleaves agreed.
‘You’re never going to believe this’A former departmental liaison officer in Reynolds’ office, Chris Payne, told the court that Brown had come to see him in his office shortly after March 23 and said that “you’re never going to believe this”, before telling him Higgins had been found “in a state of undress” in the minister’s office.
Brown told him that she would try to get access to CCTV footage to “get to the bottom of” what had happened, Payne said.
Payne said he spoke to Higgins later that day, and she told him she woke up on the minister’s couch when “Mr Lehrmann was having sex with her”.
He said he asked Higgins if Lehrmann raped her, and she replied: “I could not have consented. It would have been like f—ing a log.” Payne told the court that “they were quite confronting words” and “they stuck with me”.
Security guard’s notebookExtracts of Parliament House security guard Nikola Anderson’s 2019 notebook, tendered in evidence and released publicly on Friday, showed Anderson wrote on March 22 and 23, 2019: “Incident happened. Naked in Reynolds office. Welfare check approx 4.20.”
A diary entry from a security guard submitted into evidence part of the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case.
The defamation suitLehrmann is suing Ten and Wilkinson over an interview with Higgins that he alleges defames him by suggesting he is guilty of raping Higgins. He was not named in Ten’s broadcast and a preliminary issue in the case is whether he was identified via other means.
Lisa Wilkinson and her barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday.Credit: Nick Moir
If the court finds he was identified, Ten and Wilkinson are seeking to rely on a range of defences including truth, which would require the court to be satisfied to the civil standard – on the balance of probabilities – that he raped Higgins. In a criminal trial, a prosecutor must prove an accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Sexual assault charge droppedLehrmann’s ACT Supreme Court trial for sexual assault was aborted last year due to juror misconduct. The charge against Lehrmann was later dropped altogether owing to concerns about Higgins’ mental health.
Punjab Cop Suspended Over Security Breach During PM Modi’s 2022 Visit
In January 2022, PM Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur
Chandigarh:An officer of the Superintendent of Police (SP) rank in Punjab has been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty in connection with the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state in January last year.
The officer, Gurbinder Singh, was at the time of the incident posted as the Superintendent of Police (Operations) and was on duty in Ferozepur.
Singh, currently posted as an SP in Bathinda district, has been suspended with immediate effect, according to an order issued by the Punjab Home Department on Wednesday.
On January 5, 2022, Prime Minister Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any of the events, including a rally. The security breach ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections had led to a major political controversy.
According to the suspension order, a report dated October 18, 2023 on the incident was submitted by the Director General of Police (DGP) in which the state police chief said that Singh did not perform his duty properly.
After consideration of the matter at the level of the competent authority, the officer concerned is suspended with immediate effect, said the order issued in Punjabi.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee that probed the security breach had earlier indicted several state officers for lapses.
The top court had on January 12 last year appointed the committee to probe the breach, saying these questions cannot be left to “one-sided inquiries” as they needed “judicially trained independent minds” to investigate.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Conclusion
The Parliament security breach has highlighted the urgent need for strengthening the security measures in our democratic institutions. It is imperative to ensure the safety of our elected representatives and maintain the integrity of our democratic process. The incident serves as a reminder that constant vigilance and proactive measures are necessary to protect our democratic values.
The authorities are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the breach and taking necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future. It is hoped that the lessons learned from this incident will lead to a more secure and resilient Parliament, where lawmakers can carry out their duties without fear or disruption.
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